Nduka Uzuakpundu
28 November 2002
interview
Lagos — FOLLOWING the issuance of Fatwa or death decree on the journalist said to have offended Muslims' sensibilities recently, the federal government has responded by saying that the Fatwa was illegal and unconstitutional.
In an interview with the BBC, the chairman of the United Nigerian Peoples's party (UNPP), Alhaji Sani Jambo, who is a Muslim, said Fatwa ought to issue by the captains of Islamic affairs in the country, it at all and that because life was paramount in the Islamic faith, care must be taken so as not to wrong the principle of forgiveness and peace which the holy prophet preached. Excerpts:
As far as this case is concerned, I am not an Islamic jurist. My understanding is the competence of those who have the authority to issue the Fatwa. I believe that the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs which is headed by the Sullam of Sokoto, and with Dr Lateef Adegbite as its secretary and the emirs, chief obas and the Ullamas, these are rightful people, to my mind, that ought to come together to see that the Fatwa is correctly issued, having examined the unifications of all the laws therein. And once it is issued, then you knew it is Fatwa. Whether or not the Zamfara State government or Ullama has that presgative to issue, I suppose this is the question which we ought to ask.
Would you as a Muslim feel compelled to kill the journalist...?
There is nothing that is so precious in Islam than life. It takes really a severe penalty for anybody to take life. And in taking life, which is God-given, there must be this process of law and order. You just can't see a person in the street that some one has issued Fatwa on, without the due processes laid out for you just go out and kill. So the Ullamas ought to come together and be in the forefront and issue this. I am a politician, I don't have the authority. I'm not an Islamic jurist nor any politician for that matter. I think this has to be within the ambit of the head of the Islamic foundation in Nigeria, which everybody accepts.
The main problem with Nigeria is that there are many people there; a lot young people who are not quite versed in Islamic jurist prudence or in the religion itself they might be obliged to jump at this lady and carry out the fatwa. How do you think people will recall to this, particularly non-Muslims in Nigeria?
I don't believe its Islamic if God had wanted us, we would have been in Saudi Arabia... When th first set of Christian were being persecuted in Mecca, the prophet (SAW), asked them to go to Abyssima where there was a Christian king in whose heart there was righteousness, who can protect them. So let us not forget that. It is only fair that we ought to learn that we are living in a multi-lingual, multi-religion and multi-ethnic society. And it is the duty of Islamic scholars to preach peace, afterall Islamic is peace, therefore we must find a way to live in peace. But, in living peace, we must find a way to submit ........... to these laws. The laws must have to go through the due process for those who have the authority and understanding of the ramification and implication to make such pronouncements.
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