[The Injustice Blog] Is this why Sunni Muslims in Nigeria are quiet on Shiites and El-Zakzaky?

Shiites, Zakzaky

December 14, 2017, marked the second year that the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife were arrested after a bloody confrontation between the group and the Nigerian Army.

The illegal detention has been condemned by political pundits and international bodies including Amnesty International but the federal government has refused to change its position on setting the Shiite leader and his wife free.

We have written at length about the continued silence of Nigerian Muslims on Zakzaky’s detention, especially that of outspoken and influential groups like the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Muslims Right Concern (MURIC). These groups were quick to release statements and display outrage when Amasa Firdaus wasn’t called to the Nigerian bar for her failure to remove her hijab at the Nigerian Law School’s Call-to-bar ceremony.

With millions of members across the country, the Shiite group is the largest Islamic group after the Nigerian Sunni Muslims. However, they’ve always disagreed on principles as it relates to how Islam should be practiced. Even when we are yet to know the principles in question, an unusual act by Shiite members in Kaduna on the 25th of December 2017 gave a snippet to why the Shiite Muslims may never enjoy the sympathy of their Sunni Muslims counterpart.

On Christmas day, the Shiites visited some churches in Kaduna to celebrate with Christians – an unusual act. They went in their numbers to the churches as seen in photographs released on social media.

This visit by Shiites which is not the first of its kind according to findings has gone to show that the needed religious harmony we need in this country is an achievable task, and will become a reality come when all religions accept  each other for the benefit of the peace and unity of Nigeria, as no nation survives religious tensions.

The Shiites have displayed by their actions the practicality of the peace preached by Muslims around the world. As much as this is good to see, when will their fellow Sunni Muslims break their silence on the continued incarceration of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky?

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