The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, is shocked and distressed by the wanton killings and massacre of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma). The level of persecutions and the monumental brutalities being meted on such defenseless, helpless and downtrodden Muslim communities in the Rakhine State of the country amount to genocide in the real sense of it.
In the spirit of the Hadith of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that says, “believers, in their mercy, compassion and sympathy for one another are like a single body….”, the NSCIA, on behalf of the entire Muslim Ummah in Nigeria condemns in strong terms such endless, intermittent and exterminatory cruelties against these weak and helpless human beings. The NSCIA similarly condemns the apparent global conspiracy of silence on the matter as demonstrated by the reluctance of the United Nations and world leaders to convene a meeting of the Security Council and take the necessary measures against the government in Myanmar and its armed forces who for years have been notoriously descending on their villages to slaughter them and mercilessly drive them out of their homes and abodes.
The NSCIA is also perplexed that such crimes against humanity are taking place at a time when a supposedly Nobel Peace Laureate in person of Aung San Suu Kyi is at the helm of affairs in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi has unfortunately appeared to be, in power and authority, the opposite of what she used to preach that earned her the global recognition as an unflinching defender of human rights.
The NSCIA hereby uses this medium to call on the United Nations and world leaders to break their unworthy silence on these vicious atrocities , stir up to immediate action and do the needful to not only save human lives, dignity and honour but to also take the world out of this tragic embarrassment in the so-called 21st Century. Similarly, the NSCIA calls on the Mynmar Government to, as a matter of urgency, bring an immediate end to it, to not only discharge its primary obligation of protecting and securing the lives of its citizens but also save its face from global shame and condemnation.
Finally, while all legitimate efforts are being made to deal with this global humanitarian crisis and challenge, the NSCIA hereby advises Muslims in Nigeria and all over the world to exercise restraint, avoid taking laws into their hands and be prayerful unto Allah to bring succor to these helpless brothers and sisters of ours and all other human beings that are suffering in the world, wherever they are, no matter their faith or race.
Signed
Professor Salisu Shehu,
Deputy Secretary-General,
NSCIA.
