It is baffling what we hear these days about our religious clerics, the atrocities that take place in the house of God makes one wonder if truly religion is not the greatest bane of the world as we know it now.
About two weeks ago, on Friday, March 4, Zenithblog.com posted an article taking a critical look at where to draw the line between faith and foolishness. The piece which focused on the Christian faith and the anomalies experienced, stated clearly that the issue is not with the various religions in the world, but with those who believe and follow these diverse religions.
Religion is not the problem, but some of those practice various religions are the problems.
With the debate stirred by the exposition on fake pastors, some readers requested that we bring to the fore some very key issues in Islam which is the second organized religion in the world, with about 1.3 billion members.
It is important to note that every religion has its guiding principles, most of which do not contravene the rules that guide the actions, transactions and reactions of mankind. Hence, each religion and the followers thereof, must ensure that the tenets that guide their worship are followed to the latter with a rational mind as guide.
The constitution for most religions or religious organizations have for quite a while been embedded in the sect’s holy book. Hence, Christians must ask themselves what does the bible say, while Muslims who are key to this piece must be sure they do what the Quran urges them to.
Some major examples of rather controversial Islamic practices will be presented below as to help draw the line between religion and rationality. For all the examples that will be highlighted below, the basic rule or yardstick of judgement will be if the practice or act by these Alfas or Imams follow any Islamic principle.
1. Islamic Cleric Takes Woman On 3-Day S*x Deliverance
This was a screamer, causing many tongues to wag. A certain self-professed Islamic cleric was arrested and charged before a magistrate court in Isolo, Lagos state, for engaging a 34-year-old woman in s*x deliverance that lasted for three days. How did that happen?
The cleric named Jamiu Mukaila, did not only defrauded one Bose Alele to the tune of N350,000, but went on to engaged her in a 3-day marathon s*x under the false pretence of casting evil spirit out of her.
Sources revealed that Jamiu approached her and introduced himself as Alfa, telling her that he had a revelation from God concerning making her life better; now the question is why do you need someone else to tell you God’s plans for your life?
Alfa Lukman who is accused of having carnal knowledge of a married woman.
This story stirred so much dust, with claims of voodoo being applied to fool the victim. And I ask, what happened to the victim when they told her that she had mammy-water spirit? Where in the Quran does it say that a deliverance ceremony was conducted by sleeping with somebody?
only recently, there was a related case of one Kemi Kamorudeen, a married woman who was defiled for more than two years by one Alfa Shehu Lukman who threatened that she would run mad if she divulged the secret. May God deliver us from all evils.
2. Islamic cleric dupes friend of over N9 million
In September 2013, operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) in Ikoyi, Lagos state apprehended a man whose tool of trade was posing as an Islamic cleric to swindle unsuspecting people.
According to the report, Isiaka Adeleke, a 34-year-old man popularly known as Alfa, allegedly collected a total sum of N9.5 million from his childhood friend, N8 million to purportedly get him spiritual help and the remaining N1.5 was spent on a car which the suspect supposedly sold to his friend but then registered in his own name.
The suspect was said to have demanded for the money to enable him go into the spiritual realm to tackle spiritual forces hindering the success of his friend’s business.
Now the question here is at what point do we start believing that we as individuals can get a direct help from God and do not necessarily have to go through some medium or other people.
Fraudulent clerics
Where does the Koran say that anyone who needs help must first pay some stipulated millions. The Muslim holy book encourages the giving of arms and giving to Allah’s disciples of your own will and there is an obligatory Zakat for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth (basically a 2.5 percent based on income and the value of all of one’s possessions).
It must be noted the collected amount is paid first to zakat collectors, and then to poor Muslims, to new converts to Islam, to Islamic clerics and others. How then does one give away about N10million for cleansing? From what do you really want to be cleansed? And some will argue saying: “May God not make you desperate”
The suspect was said to have demanded for the money to enable him go into the spiritual realm to tackle spiritual forces hindering the success of his friend’s business.
In a related report, detectives attached to the Lagos Special Fraud Unit (SFU) arrested two ‘Muslim clerics’ for allegedly defrauding local and foreign businessmen of N10 million. The suspects Fatai Bamidele and Lateef Ahmed, allegedly paraded themselves as Muslim clerics to defraud innocent members of the public of their money.
They were said to have allegedly operated a shrine in Ilorin in Kwara state and they took victims to the shrine where victims were made to take oaths not to reveal what had happened to them to others.
Now when a clause like certain oaths come into the equation of religion, it seem most rational that one should feel that something is amiss. So at what point in journey of desperation does one back-down or back-out?
3. Ritualists and killers
There is no shortcut to creating wealth, that is a principle that most religions agree upon. It is believed that God blesses those who are hardworking and despise the lazy. So when the story of clerics looking for easy wealth is told, one wonders how can the blind show others the light?
In February 2015, an Islamic cleric, Mr Fatai Afobaje was arrested by the police for allegedly killing his best friend, Rafiu Suleiman for money ritual in Lagos state.
According to police report, after the 40 year -old Kwara-born was killed by the Alfa and his accomplices, the deceased’s body parts were shared amongst them for ritual purposes.
Too gruesome a story, clearly Mr Afobaje cannot lay claims to be a true cleric. Where are the morals of hard work which the Quran teaches?
In the same vein, the Lagos state police command arrested Gazali Akewadola, a self-proclaimed Islamic cleric and native doctor, for selling human parts. The police noted that Akewadola was a member of a gang that was recently arrested for exhuming corpses and selling their parts.
On May 22, 2013 the police arrested five members of a syndicate- Jamiu Adeleke, Ajibade Rafiu, Fatai Akiwowo, Kazeem Sanni and Agboola Kolawole – for selling human parts in Owode, Ogun state.
According to Police authorities, Akewadola was nabbed after the five suspects that were initially arrested made confessional statements and led policemen to his hideout.
A striking thing about this story is the point were it states that the prime suspect is an Islamic cleric and a native doctor, the question is how do the two mix? Sadly such hypocrites are not easily fished out, as they perfect that act to lure many into doom. Beware!
4. Abduction and underage marriage
Currently in Nigeria, cases involving the abduction of young girls has become very rampant. Worst still is the fact that these young girls are reportedly forced into marriage by certain Islamic clerics.
There is the case of Ese Oruru, a teenage girl who was reportedly abducted by one Yunusa Dahiru, alias Yellow. After a couple of months (about a year) after her abduction, she rescued by police officers in Kano, and it was discovered that the teenager was be 5-6 months pregnant
Ese Oruru was abducted, forced to join Islam and pressured into marriage. She was only 13 as of the time
More cases have started to emerge following Ese’s safe but unstable return. There is a case of three other teenage girls, who were abducted in Bauchi state and forcefully converted to Islam. The three girls were identified as Blessing Gopep, 13, Linda Christopher, 16 and Progress Jacob, 13.
According to security operatives, Blessing was reportedly abducted by two men, identified as Iliya and Umaru in August 2015, while Linda was abducted in November by one Mallam Shagari in Tarsha Durumi village.
The third girl, Progress was abducted by Mallam Musa in the Yelwa, Sabon Kaura area of Bauchi state, on her way back from church on January 3.
All efforts to find the girls proved abortive until a letter was delivered to their parents from the Bauchi state Shari’ah commission, that they had been converted to Islam.
Three kidnapped girls in Bauchi
The emphasis here is not on the abductors, but on the fact that the Shari’a h commission which is made up of scholars and learned clerics, would just accept without flinching, the fact that some teenagers were forcefully taken and turned into wives.
It is no news that the heated debate regarding age of marriage in Islam remains contested, still it is in cases like this that we must show that we have a mind of our own to draw the line between faith and foolishness. The dangers faced by childmothers cannot be underestimated.
When does a union become child molestation? When is a girl, lady, woman ready physically and emotionally to be married? Islamic clerics must help stop the violation and defilement which many of these teenage girls go through (especially in the northeast).
5. Fanatics and radicalizers
Another very important category of fake Islamic clerics are those who go fanatically to sway the minds of their followers into believing certain dogmas that give to life only a debasing value. Most terrorists and jihadists have clerics who fall under this category.
These clerics twist the principle of the Quran, interpreting its meaning to their followers such that what Islam which is a religion of peace sees as “halal”, they teach as “haram” and vice-versa.
Boko Haram is an idea born in the heart of fanatics, extremists and radicalizers.
From theses teachers we must turn away, as rational beings we must be a able to tell when certain principles have been applied out of context. Often times these teachers take advantage of the fact that people depend on them to interpret what the holy scriptures are saying.
Terrorism and religious clashes are all borne from the minds of fanatics and those who go out to radicalize people. The sect Boko Haram for instance sees Western education as a taboo, and you ask under what Islamic principle that falls upon. Islam does not promote the killing of the innocent and the harmless; would never support the shedding of blood like the jihadist do, however, the minds of men have been perverted and that which is the right thing to do has been neglected.
In conclusion, it is important to reiterate that Islam is a religion of peace and like most other great religions of the world, the problems lie with those who practice, and not the religion itself. Hence, every individual regardless your religion, must ensure that we do not utterly sacrifice our rationale at the alter of faith, for there lies a thin line between faith and foolishness. Beware, so you do not cross the line.
360naze
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