An Islamic scholar has urged the government of Nigeria to take “decisive action” against the activities of the terrorist group Boko Haram to ensure Nigerians have “more confidence in their leaders” and are “not left alone in their ordeal.”
Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu has called for “an end to the acts of terror being unleashed on innocent people,” according to a report in the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian.
Referring to recent concerns expressed by H.H. Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the sultan of the northwestern Sokoto state, Aliyu, who is Secretary-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (“Group For the Victory of Islam”), a coalition of Muslim leaders in northern Nigeria, spoke of “the loss of lives and destruction of property arising from attacks by bandits, Boko Haram terrorists and rapists.”
The BBC reports that in releasing video footage of their atrocities, Boko Haram employs similar propaganda tactics to those of the Islamic State and “denounces democracy and Muslims who subscribe to it.”
Aliyu says that to counter this campaign, “the Nigerian Army and other security outfits in Nigeria must be properly equipped, adequately provided and maintained routinely,” and government leaders should set up programs for the many victims who have been displaced by the violence and “rebuild the initial settlements of Internally Displaced Persons so that they can return home and resume their occupation, farming and animal husbandry.” This will send a “strong signal” to perpetrators that “the government is ready to go to any length to protect its people.”
From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.
The Church publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
For more information, visit the Scientology website or Scientology Network.
