Islam
Friday Sermon: The Concept of Ummah in a Religiously Pluralistic Society
Published
4 years agoon
By
EricBy Babatunde Jose
There is no doubt we live in perilous times. For all intents and purposes, it could be the worst of times; a period of religious intolerance and wanton exploitation of the name of God to score cheap political points and a tendency to desecrate the hallowed name of God, His prophets, religions and their adherents. In this political melee there are fears that if care is not taken, we might end up in a tragic state of religious fracas. We can see it coming; hence the wise elders have started calling for a need to examine the concepts that govern the operations of the major religions with a view to explore if there are rooms for mutual accommodation, or what we politically term tolerance.
The first question asked by the elders is thrown at the adherents of the Islamic faith and it borders on the concept of Ummah or the Islamic community. It also asks about the workability or otherwise of the Ummah in a religiously pluralistic society or nation-state. It is therefore proper for us to start with a definition of the conceptual foci of our discourse.
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning “community”. It is distinguished from Shaʻb which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. … It is a synonym for Ummat al-Islam, ‘the Islamic community’, and it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic people. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history.
In the Quran the Ummah typically refers to a single group that shares common religious beliefs, specifically those that are the objects of a divine plan of salvation. In the context of pan-Islamism and politics, the word Ummah can be used to mean the concept of a Commonwealth of the Believers
The faith of Islam helped various Muslim peoples in their struggle to gain political freedom in the mid-20th century, and the unity of Islam contributed to later political solidarity. But that was then and it is inconceivable that it would suffice in a modern nation state with a plurality of belief holders. Though at inception of the Islamic state, pluralism was addressed and tolerated, particularly with the promulgation of the Constitution of Medina.
Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society: A term for the condition of harmonious co-existence between adherents of different religions or religious denominations.
The Constitution of Medina (also called the Umma Document) is a political agreement between Muhammad, the early Muslims, the Jews of the city and other pagan tribes around 622 BC, its purpose was to end the city’s tribal warfare and “unify its warring factions”.
The history of religious tolerance and pluralism can be traced many centuries back; in some countries of the world, many religions were practiced without confronting each other. However, the struggle for religious toleration was started in the 16th century.
Next is the question of the most important belief in Islam; the oneness of God or Tawheed. The heart of faith for all Muslims is obedience to Allah’s will.
Tawhid meaning “oneness [of God]” also Romanized as Tawheed is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam. Tawhid is the religion’s central and single-most important concept, upon which a Muslim’s entire faith rests. It derives its distinctive name from its teaching on the Godhead, which is popularly referred to as the “Oneness doctrine,” a form of Modalistic Monarchianism. This doctrine states that there is one God, a singular divine Spirit, who manifests himself in many ways, including as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; as espoused by Christians.
The point of departure between Islam and Christianity is therefore the concept of Tawhid and its incompatibility with the doctrine of Trinity and its supposition of the ‘Sonship’ of Jesus. Within Islam, however, such a concept of plurality within God is a denial of monotheism and foreign to the revelation found in Muslim scripture. Shirk the act of ascribing partners to God – whether they be sons, daughters, or other partners – is considered to be a form of unbelief in Islam. Possible Quranic references to the doctrine of “Trinity” are verses 4:171, 5:73, and 5:116.
Tawhid therefore, is the religion’s central and single-most important concept, upon which a Muslim’s entire faith rests. It constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession of faith. The first part of the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) is the declaration of belief in the oneness of God.
In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in religious extremism and radicalization. The space for religious pluralism and tolerance seems deteriorating. A major reason is the mounting phobia for other’s faiths across the religious divide.
Pluralism and tolerance are strongly related concepts. The intertwine relation between the two terms requires understanding of both for implementation and factual practices. According to theological account, the term indicates agreement, union, and compatibility across different beliefs and religious tradition. The sociological reference of religious pluralism is more of descriptive in nature. Consequently, in sociology, religious pluralism refers to the multiplicity of various religious traditions within similar cultural area. It also accounts for the pattern of peaceful co-existence among various religious actors, individuals, societies and the state around culture, social, economic and political agendas.
Religious philosophers assert that various known world religious beliefs and practices are inherently equal in creating alternative access to get into Ultimate Reality. To put in other words no religion is superior or inferior to other; all religions are basically equal in so long as they all are good ways to realize the authentic truth. Thus, no particular religion has right to claim that it is an exclusive path to the truth.
Understanding religious pluralism in such way enables us to treat other religion with intimacy and open mindedness than distancing and leveling them under bad moral condition. Religious pluralism is therefore, the intrinsic condition of the society. In normative religious pluralism, the diverse beliefs and practices are held to be positive force in social life giving moral and spiritual depth to civic discourse enriching personal and family life, and even making the diverse religious communities themselves better representation of their faith.
Generally, pluralism can be made possible through examining the common phrase that “we agree to disagree”. That is to say in pluralistic society though we do not believe in the doctrine and practices of other religion; we have to agree to reckon with other’s religion; is inherently equal to ours at least in philosophical level.
In the words of Alxinger, “we all are seekers – since no person or institution possess absolute truth, tolerance means open-mindedness, willingness to learn the truth from other”.
Similarly, in diversified societies where multiplicity of beliefs and religious traditions occur, tolerance can be seen as a precondition for accommodation of such human character. The factual practice of tolerance can be archived by creating free space for other beliefs, accepting and appreciating their philosophy, distancing oneself from persecuting others and implementing their religion.
The world presents a cabinet of diverse faiths –Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, with all their sects and schisms, to say nothing of polytheistic cults. Confrontations with such radical heterogeneity fostered the deistic conviction that there are many ways to God, discoverable through nature, each acceptable to the Supreme Being, and hence deserving of tolerance.
We cannot examine every single one of the world’s scriptures; some scriptural canons are so huge that even the faithful do not attempt to read all the texts that they contain. But these scriptures prescribe different ways of living in harmony with the transcendent, but on one thing they all agree: To live in genuine relation with the unknowable ‘ultimate’, men and women must divest themselves of egotism. What the Greeks called kenosis (the ‘emptying’ of self) is a central scriptural theme. Furthermore, the scriptures all insist that the best way of achieving this transcendence of self is to cultivate habits of empathy and compassion. We hear a great deal today about the violence and hatred that scripture supposedly inspires. But, in different ways, the scriptures concur that you cannot confine your benevolence to your own people but must honor the stranger and even the enemy. It is hard to imagine an ethic that is more urgently needed in our perilously divided world.
Generally, tolerance is an essential element of moral virtue. It is inherently related to the intrinsic value of human being. From the point of religiosity, it is a requirement for peaceful and harmonious co-existence where there are diverse religious practices.
May the God of all Creation bring peace unto this nation; Amen.
Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend
Paper presented at a 2-man seminar on January 13, 2020
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Islam
Friday Sermon: Ramadan: Time for Religious and Divine Reflection 2
Published
4 days agoon
March 15, 2024By
EricBy Babatunde Jose
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” – (Al-Bukhari)
We want others to put themselves in our shoes and view the world from our perspective. That is empathy – putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. We feel close to the person who is empathetic to us, find it easy to share our thoughts with them, go to him or her when we’re in trouble and seek solace. Each of us has a natural sense of empathy through which we connect to others.
There are two aspects of empathy: cognitive and affective. Cognitive empathy is about understanding another person’s point of view, their emotions and needs at the intellectual level. Affective empathy is about actually feeling an emotion that another person is experiencing.
If only our leaders would empathise with the suffering multitude, they would do the needful and set the country on the path of sustained development. They should feel the hunger being experienced by the people, their sense of want, deprivation, and impoverishment.
But they would not. These are stone-hearted people who are bereft of the milk of human kindness. The Prophet attested to this when he said: “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.” (Al-Bukhari) A man without empathy will therefore be devoid of faith.
This hadith necessitates cognitive empathy. You must firstly imagine yourself in someone else’s shoes and think from their perspective to understand what you would do in their situation. If only the leaders would come up with solutions to the growing poverty in the land occasioned by their policies.
A believer who has achieved excellence of faith will feel this special love for others.
The Quran stresses that righteousness is not in precise observance of the rituals but in acts of compassion and kindness. It says that the litmus test for true belief and genuine worship is that it leads to compassionate living:
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards the East or West; but it is righteousness – to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and to practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing. (Quran 2:177)
This verse talks about a set of beliefs and then a set of good deeds, the intricate relationship between the two escapes many if not most.
In his commentary, Yusuf Ali said: “As if to emphasize again a warning against deadening formalism, we are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-fearing man. He should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of Allah and the love of his fellow- men. We are given four heads: (1) our faith should be true and sincere; (2) we must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellowmen; (3) we must be good citizens, supporting social organization: and (4) our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances. They are interconnected, and yet can be viewed separately.
“Faith is not merely a matter of words. We must realize the presence and goodness of Allah. When we do so, the scales fall from our eyes: all the falsities and fleeting nature of the Present cease to enslave us, for we see the Last Day as if it were to-day. We also see Allah’s working in His world and in us: His Angels, His Messengers and His Message are no longer remote from us but come within our experience.
“Practical deeds of charity are of value when they proceed from love, and from no other motive. In this respect, also, our duties take various forms, which are shown in reasonable gradation: our kith and kin; orphans (including any persons who are without support or help): people who are in real need but who never ask (it is our duty to find them out, and they come before those who ask); the stranger, who is entitled to laws of hospitality; the people who ask and are entitled to ask, i.e., not merely lazy beggars, but those who seek our assistance in some form or another (it is our duty to respond to them); and the slaves (we must do all we can to give or buy their freedom). Slavery has many insidious forms, and all are included.”
Every Friday in the second part of the sermon, Muslims all over the world hear a verse, which stresses, justice, kindness, and natural mutual love as among the closest blood relatives:
Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you that ye may receive admonition. (Quran 16:91)
He makes His relationship or His Providence to the common man, conditional to common human compassion, by claiming that those, who wish to find Him, will succeed only if they are kind and compassionate to the common people:
Fasting cleanses your soul and makes you appreciate all your blessings. Fasting humbles you; it makes you feel compassion for the poor who experience that type of hunger every day. At the end of the day, however, we have a big dinner; the poor don’t have that luxury. That is why Muslims are required to give zakat on an annual basis. Many choose to do this during Ramadan. This money is either given personally or through a charity. The main thing is that it must be paid.
We are taught to not only fast from food and drink but to try to refrain from conflict, anger, and mean words. Our prophet (peace be upon him) says, “Saying a nice word is like giving to charity.” And he also said, “To smile in the face of your brother is like giving to charity.” We are to be kind and loving to each other. We are to be forgiving, not only in this month but in every month. But for some reason, this month brings out the best in everyone.
During this holy month, we spend a lot of time reading our Quran: We also spend a lot of time praying, trying to help those who are less fortunate and performing good deeds, which in turn cleanses our hearts and souls. For one month, we truly do become less selfish, less self-centred and more focused on what really matters in the world.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in sharing his wishes, for all observing the holy month of Ramadan, urged action on behalf of millions of forcibly displaced people worldwide.
“Through our reflection, we come to recognize that while words may reassure, it is only through action that we can truly see tangible change,” he said. “We continue to live in extremely complex times where violence is multiplied, conflicts are protracted, and tens of millions of people are forcibly uprooted or on the move. This has created unprecedented levels of human suffering and desperation.
“Millions of people like you and I are living in a constant state of conflict, insecurity, and persecution: Their loved ones torn from them under inexplicable circumstances. Think of civilians in Syria or Yemen. Think of the plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the other countries to which they have fled”.
And I urge you to also think of the castrated and emasculated people of Palestine: Between 7 October 2023 and 6 March 2024, at least 30,717 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 72,156 were injured, according to MoH in Gaza. A sad Ramadan for Gaza as Israel continues attacks. Amid Israel’s war, the people of Gaza don’t feel the joy of the holy month. Pray for them and remember them. “Then, surely with hardship comes ease:” “Surely, with hardship comes ease,”(Quran 94:5-6)
May Allah make it easy for us, Ameen.
Barka Juma’at and Ramadan Kareem
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Friday Sermon: Ramadan: Time for Religious and Divine Reflection 1
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 8, 2024By
EricBy Babatunde Jose
Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Koran, as a guide to mankind, also Clear (Signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:185)
The holy month of Ramadan is here again, and Muslims welcome the holy month with simple and minimal festivities as it does not stand as a celebration but as a time for religious and divine reflection. It is a time for spiritual stocktaking and moral revival. It is a time of rejuvenation of religious and moral piety and reaffirmation of faith.
During the month, the mosques are filled to capacity and the whole community assumes an atmosphere of religiosity: A time when even the confirmed sinners seek the benevolence of Allah; a time when evil and vile men seek atonement for their iniquities. Such is the month of Ramadan.
Perchance, our leaders will take advantage of the promise of forgiveness from Allah to turn a new leaf and do the needful in making our life better and seek the path of righteousness. There is much suffering in the land, widespread hunger, penury, impoverishment, deprivation, and in short, grinding poverty.
Yet, with the resources with which we have been endowed, there is enough for everyone to bask in the prosperity of our God-given provisions. But when a few conspire to deny the majority their rightful share of the commonwealth, they sentence the people into penury, want, misery and poverty. Ramadan is therefore, an opportunity for sober reflection and a chance for meaningful and positive change on the part of our leaders.
Abu Huraira narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” [Bukhari]
Fasting in Ramadan is therefore a shield from Hell; fasting subdues sinful desires and reduces their severity: It is these desires and lusts that lead to Hell Fire.
The Hadith of our beloved Prophet Mohammad (SAW), are clear in this regard; Abu Said al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW), said: “No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the Hell Fire seventy years further away from his face.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Abu Said al-Khudri also relates that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire” (Ahmad, Sahih)
`Uthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah places between him and the Fire a trench like that between heavens and the earth”. (At-Tirmidhi and at-Tabarani, sahih)
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran. In the Quran, the only month mentioned by name was Ramadan. Allah named it Shahr Ramadan, giving it special status in the annual life of the Muslim.
The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with a new moon sighting, marking the start of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. … This is considered as the holiest season in the Islamic year and commemorates the time when the Quran is said to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is considered to be one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Adult Muslims fast from dusk until dawn, unless they are ill, pregnant, or diabetic, breastfeeding, or traveling.
Muslims fast as an act of worship, a chance to get closer to God and a way to become more compassionate to those in need.
O you who believe! Guard your own souls: If you follow the right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who stray. The goal of you all is to Allah. It is He who will show you the truth of all that you do. (Quran 5:105)
A deep reflection on the institution of Fast reveals the various ways in which fasting helps in the mending of habits and development of character and God consciousness.
With the onset of Ramadan, it behooves each fasting person to open a page from the book of muhasabah (critical self-evaluation) and to reflect on what is being achieved through the month.
What benefits are derived, which behaviors are adjusted, what good practices are adopted, which bad habits are being relinquished? How does the prayers and fasting during Ramadan influence attitudes and perspectives; how is it improving relationships with families, friends and neighbors; how much has it increased consciousness of responsibility towards the destitute; how is it impacting on the body, the heart, the mind and the soul?
If there is a genuine effort towards the spiritualization of one’s being, the moralization of consciousness, empathy in attitude and goodness in conduct; then perchance a concerted effort is being made of treading on the pathway towards the objective of fasting – the attainment of taqwa (piety). Truly, the month of Ramadan is a season for spiritual stocktaking and moral evaluation.
In a world, increasingly amoral, perception is considered reality. How one appears to the world has overtaken the substance of who we really are. Taqwa is in reality character development coupled with God-consciousness. Character is not only the face in the mirror, but the real person behind the face.
The pursuance of piety begins by making our reputation a reflection of our character. Reputation may be reflected in your epitaph, what people write about you on your tombstone, but character is what angels report about you to Allah; and that is the most important.
Ramadan is an ideal training period for filtering out bad habits and developing virtuous character. It is therefore a good time for our leaders to turn a new leaf, lest ‘we the people’ decide to chase them out like Oliver Cromwell did the ‘Long Parliament’ in 1653.
Cromwell’s speech aptly reflects the character of our leaders today: “It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you has not bartered your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth? Ye sordid prostitutes; have you not defiled this sacred place, and turned the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation”.
If only they would change in the spirit of Ramadan! Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Your practice of faith will not be correct unless your actions are correct, and your actions will not be considered correct unless your heart is correct.”
Ramadan is therefore a period for spiritual rejuvenation and moral reconstruction as it offers the opportunity for a unique expression of worship.
From ethical and moral perspectives, we should contemplate the higher purpose and the deeper meaning of our lives, trying to live meaningfully, balancing our physicality with our spirituality.
While fasting, we are far more aware of the hunger of the poor and the suffering of the oppressed and are therefore instructed to be more generous this month. This promotes attentiveness to social responsibility, interest in the welfare of society and inspires a continued spirit of big-heartedness.
The Qur’an refers to the fasting ones as sa’ihin/spiritual wayfarers. So, the journey of Ramadan motivates each person to perpetuate the positive spirit being imbibed and to continue on the spiritual journey towards fulfilment and excellence.
It is easy to talk about the world’s problem of hunger. We can feel sorry that millions of people go to bed hungry each day. But not until one can actually feel it in one’s own body is the impact truly there.
Compassion based on empathy is much stronger and more consistent than compassion based on pity. This feeling must lead to action. Fasting is never an end in itself; that’s why it has so many different outcomes. But all the other outcomes are of no real moral value if compassion is not enlarged and extended through fasting.
It is therefore in the interest of our fasting leaders and those not fasting to shed the toga of iniquity, selfishness, self-aggrandizement and corruption and for once think of the poor masses who are not only defenseless but also hungry. It is only by doing this that the fast can have spiritual reward and meaning.
Today, ‘ebi n pawa oo’ has rented the national atmosphere. Our leaders should provide adequate palliative to stem this rising tide before it gets to a crisis level. Ramadan offers a good opportunity to do this.
As the prophet Isaiah said, “The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor” (Isaiah 58:3-7)
May Allah accept our fast, prayers and supplications, Ameen.
Barka Jumu’ah and best wishes for the month of Ramadan.
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Friday Sermon: Long Walk to Protests and Possible Revolution
Published
3 weeks agoon
March 1, 2024By
EricBy Babatunde Jose
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is no leader who closes the door to someone in need, in hardship, and in poverty, but that Allah closes the gates of heaven to him when he is in need, in hardship, and in poverty” – Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1332
Protest is an invaluable way to speak truth to power. Throughout history, protests have been the driving force behind some of the most powerful social movements, exposing injustice and abuse, demanding accountability, and inspiring people to keep hoping for a better future.
‘World Protests: A Study of Key Protest Issues in the 21st Century’, is the work of a team of researchers with German think tank Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, based at Columbia University.
Studying more than 900 protest movements across 101 countries, the authors concluded that we are living through a period of history “when large numbers of people rebelled against the way things were, demanding change.”
The authors highlight one particular problem: democratic failure. Their research found that a majority of the protest events they recorded were prompted by a perceived failure of democracy. Other themes included inequality, corruption, and the lack of action over climate change.
In reality, we are living in the age of protests. Why we seem to be insulated from this movement is understandable. The proverbial lethargy and resilience to suffering of our people accounts for this. But it is changing. People are increasingly getting restless and fed-up with the turn of events: Their impoverishment, deprivation, incessant hunger, food insecurity and exposure to kidnapping and violent encounters with devilment.
To many Nigerians, democracy seems to have yielded few benefits or dividends. Hence, the low turnouts are recent elections. Between 2015 and 2022, the democratically elected government of Buhari presided over worsening security, continuing corruption, and two recessions.
The ENDSARS movement showed the democratic dynamism of young Nigerians. And technology has helped demands for better government to transcend old ethnic, religious, and linguistic divides. Unfortunately, ENDSARS did not produce a political party, but it showed a hunger for more democracy, not less, among Nigerians and a solidarity among Nigeria’s enormous population of young people.
In most African countries the relationship between the states and citizens is fragile. Engaging in violent conflict by different segments of the state, as a means of registering discontent on bad governance, has become a perennial occurrence. Such socio-political conflicts in Nigeria are wrongly profiled or tagged ethnic conflict and have heightened trust-deficit among different ethnic groups that make up the Nigerian plural state. These conflicts have also exposed the states’ lack of capacity to deal with past and recurrent complex security and conflict matters in a plural society.
In addressing socio-political conflicts, the Nigerian state is found wanting. It is always prone to the use of force, even during the colonial days. An excursion into past experiences would suffice.
December 6, 1929, Aba Women’s Riot, Eastern Nigeria. The women protested against tax levies imposed by the colonial government. It was brutally repressed and led to the death of many of the women.
Abeokuta Women’s Revolt, 27 November 1947, Abeokuta Women’s Union led by Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. The women protested against an unfair tax regime which led to the abdication of the then Alake of Egbaland, Oba Sir Ladapo Ademola II and the abolition of the tax regime by the colonial government.
The Enugu Colliery Massacre took place on 18 November 1949, when a British Superintendent of Police, F S Philip, commanding a number of British and Nigerian Police Officers ordered the shooting of unarmed coal miners of the Iva Valley Coal Mine who were on strike.
Immediately Nigeria got her independence in 1960, all the existing geopolitical regions witnessed political violence which arose from the contradictions left behind by the British imperialist government. The manifestation of these political problems in the Middle Belt region especially to the present-day Benue State was the Tiv riots of 1960 and 1964, which was the earliest sign of an impending turbulent political system witnessed in this part of the country. The Tiv riots were eventually quelled by the army.
Before Emeka Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra in May 1967, Isaac Adaka Boro had declared the Niger Delta Republic in February 1966. Aguiyi-Ironsi ordered Odumegwu-Ojukwu to hunt down Boro. Mbiama and environs was surrounded by federal troops. To save the people from the siege and attendant harassment by the federal forces, Boro and his comrades had to come out and surrender themselves. In 1967, General Gowon created Rivers State and Boro was released from prison and absorbed into the Nigerian Army. He died mysteriously the following year during the war.
April 17, 1978, Ali Must Go Riots. Universities nationwide were on the move over a 50 kobo increase in student feeding fees.
If there are enough protesters, the policies of those in power may become unworkable. When the UK government introduce the flat-rate Poll Tax in 1990, huge numbers of people protested and refused to pay the tax. It became clear that prosecuting everyone who refused would be impossible, chaos threatened, and the government abolished the tax.
The two main sources of grievance are political exclusion and inequality. This may be the result of marginalization, oppression, intimidation, or violence. Typically, revolutions take the form of organized movements aimed at effecting change, especially socio-economic change.
Here in this clime, let us not be deceived that a widespread protest cannot become a revolution. With all the catalogue of grievances brewing in the land, revolution is imminent and possible.
Take a cue from protests in other lands and realize that we are sitting on gun powder. Remember the Arab Spring?
On December 17, 2010, a young Tunisian who sold vegetables from a barrow set himself afire to protest against police harassment. Mohamed Bouazizi died on January 4, 2011, but not before his gesture went viral, sparking protests against the cost of living and the country’s authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Ben Ali’s 23-year-rule ended 10 days later when he fled to Saudi Arabia, becoming the first leader of an Arab nation to be pushed out by popular protests.
The protests inspired a wave of revolts across the Arab world as people rose up to protest against authoritarianism, corruption, and poverty. It became known as the ‘Arab Spring’.
On January 25, 2011, thousands of Egyptians marched in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities, demanding the departure of President Hosni Mubarak, who had been in power for 30 years.
On February 11, as more than a million took to the streets, Mubarak resigned and handed control to the military.
The most violent protest in history was in 1947 – Partition riots, India, and Pakistan. The hardest hit region was the densely populated state of Punjab (today divided between India and Pakistan), death toll estimates between 500,000 and 2,000,000, the deadliest riots known to humankind.
Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or they may undertake direct action in an attempt to enact desired changes themselves.
Political protest is on the rise in almost all countries.
In 2020 there were protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic – a series of protests around the world against various governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly lockdowns.
2020–2023 United States racial unrest ‘Black Lives Matter’– a series of protests against racial inequality and police brutality, sometimes in favor of abolishing or defunding the police. George Floyd protests. Breonna Taylor protests. Kenosha unrest.
2020 Malian protests, also called “Malian Spring”. And the End SARS protests to abolish the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Nigeria.
In 2021 we had the Tunisian protests, Senegalese protests, South African unrest and 2021-2023 Eswatini (Swaziland) protests.
All these are not far from home and the causes are not too far-fetched. There is no gainsaying the fact that we have had it coming. The various grouse we harbor did not start yesterday. Incidence of hunger, high food prices and worsening socio-economic conditions have been with us since the coming of civil rule. Power deficit, housing deficit, infrastructure deficit, food insecurity, health, and education decay; closure of universities for a whole session, and corruption scandals of unimaginable proportion. Sixteen years of the PDP locust and the last 8 years of APC impoverishment and pauperization. And the past 8 months of socio-economic perambulation.
In its editorial of last Monday, titled: ‘The Ominous Pall of Nationwide Industrial Unrest’, Premium Times pointed out that, “The majority of citizens can no longer feed themselves.”
It continued: “Ironically, no regime of palliatives, whether at the federal or sub-national levels, can pull Nigerians out of the seeming cul-de-sac the economic policies…have hauled them into. Everything is wrong with their execution. It appears that corruption and profiteering – two market leviathans have come into the mix. They need to be dealt with.
“The government has to discover where it got it wrong, fix things and arrest the seething cauldron the country has become. No Nigerian wants to live on tokenisms with their ephemerality. Consequently, the economy must be made to work for all!”
According to Bismark Rewane of Financial Derivatives, the economic regression of the country is well documented, and this has been going down the hill for over 30 to 40 years and nothing done to reverse the trend, but lip service. Indeed, it has been a ‘long walk to protests and possible revolution’.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever is appointed over the affairs of people in any way, and he conceals benefit from them, Allah will conceal benefit from him on the Day of Resurrection.”
Source: Musnad Ahmad
Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.
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