Nigerian Cardinal condemns
government ban of Shiite Muslim group
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| Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria demonstrate against the detention of their leader (AFP) |
In Nigeria, a ban on a Shiite Muslim group came after a
court ruled the government could classify it as a "terrorist
organization." Cardinal Onaiyekan of Abuja decries the move saying it sets
a dangerous precedent for all religious minorities.
By Linda Bordoni
This week marks 10 years since the start of the Boko Haram
uprising in northeastern Nigeria where suicide bombings and mass kidnappings
have led to the death of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of
many others.
The somber anniversary coincides with the announcement of
a government ban on the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a
Shiite Muslim group accused of running "terrorist activities,
including attacking soldiers, killing policemen, destroying public property and
consistently defying state authority."
But speaking to Vatican Radio, Cardinal John
Onaiyekan of Abuja says the government crackdown is not only unjust,
it is a move that sets a worrying precedent for religious freedom in the
country.
“Nobody is safe: today it’s the Shiites, tomorrow it could
be us Catholics too,” he said.
Cardinal Onaiyekan explained that recently, for the
government in Nigeria, the question of Shiite Muslims has become an
issue.
He said IMN followers have been holding protests to
demand the release of their leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been detained in
prison for the last four years.
Various tribunals and courts, he noted, have ordered that he
be released, and the government has refused to obey the courts’ order.
Thus, Cardinal Onaiyekan said, the established Sunni
majority in Nigeria “doesn’t want to recognize that the Shiites are also
Muslims, and because of this the government treats them with serious
violence”.
Daily protests
He said the Shiites have been holding almost daily
protests in the streets of Abuja for over a month.
“From my own understanding, the protests were always
peaceful and we never saw them armed,” he said.
And yet, he noted, government soldiers and police have
attacked them with arms, rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters.
News outlets said at least 20 members of the group were
killed over the past week during the demonstrations.
Catholics are concerned
As for us Catholics, the Cardinal said, we are deeply
concerned about this development: “if the government can influence a Court to
declare a religious group proscribed, then nobody is safe – today it is the
Shiites, tomorrow it might be us Catholics too.”
Noting there has not yet been an official response by the
Catholic Church to the situation, he said he expects it is soon to come:
“Personally my own position is that we cannot keep quiet and allow this kind of
thing to keep going on”.
“If the Shiites break the law of the land they should be
held accountable,” the Cardinal concluded, “but to simply proscribe them, it is
going too far.”
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