PRESS RELEASE
NSCIA/HQ/PRS/093
28th Ramadan 1447 AH
17th March 2026
SEARCHING FOR THE SHAWWAL CRESCENT ON WEDNESDAY: THE EVIL OF WAR AND THE IMPERATIVE OF PRAYING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
As the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) concludes arrangements to look for the crescent of Shawwal 1447 AH, we invite all Muslims in Nigeria to join us in the search on Wednesday, 29th Ramadan 1447 AH, which is equivalent to 18th March 2026. If the crescent is sighted, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of NSCIA would be informed either directly or through the already advertised Muslim traditional rulers or members of the National Moon Sighting Committee (NMSC) for further action. If the crescent is not sighted on Wednesday, the ‘Id shall be observed on Friday. Therefore, all Muslims are enjoined to discharge their religious obligations including paying Zakatul Fitr on behalf of all their family members and dependants.
Meanwhile, the NSCIA uses this opportunity to note that like other right-thinking people and organisations across the world, the Council is stupefied by the unprovoked attacks by the United States of America (USA) and Israel on the sovereign Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, 2026. It is clear to all that the attacks were a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter.
Apart from targeting and killing the Supreme Leader of the country, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a number of his family members, the attacks also resulted in the death of close to 200 innocent school girls in the Southern part of the country. Though there are attempts to deflect and prevaricate on what was outright an act of aggression, Article 39 of the UN Charter explicitly provides that it is the United Nations Security Council that is vested with the power to determine the existence of any threat to, or breach of, peace. The attacks on Iran that day and afterwards were therefore illegal, a breach of international law.
There is no doubt that both the USA and Israel are the aggressors in this needless war and the international law grants a member of the United Nations the right to self-defence when it is subjected to an armed attack. Though Iran might have displayed the capacity to exact revenge on its murdered leaders and citizens, the heavy death tolls and massive destruction of people and properties in the Middle East call for serious concern. With heavy bombardments of Iran by the combined militaries of the United States and Israel, Iran has been retaliating by launching barrages of missiles targeting Israeli cities and US bases in the region. The unfolding scenario is emblematic of a troubling reality that except there is sincere leadership at the global stage or a genuine commitment to fairness and justice, the world inches closer to a nuclear war or another World War.
Part of the repercussions of the ongoing attacks and counter-attacks is the volatility of the region, the chokehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the disruption of daily life in Iran and Israel as well as the uncertainty that permeates the Gulf Cooperation Countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. The increasing cost of gas and premium motor spirit in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, is part of the consequences that the world is witnessing. It can only get worse except urgent actions are taken to stop the escalating mutually assured destruction.
Except for those who are chronically ignorant and pathetically Islamophobic, what is clear in the whole scenario apart from geopolitics is the unmitigated hatred for Islam and the commitment of the hegemons to the destruction of Muslims. It is the same agenda but under different excuses that has been prosecuted to destroy many Muslim countries like Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iraq. The method is always to stoke unrest, assassinate leaders, destabilise governments and rupture societies. It is also apparent that the much-vaunted international order comes to nothing when Muslims are concerned, except for a few people of conscience who appreciate our shared humanity and the universality of justice. Those people’s voices are resonant in condemning the war.
That is why it would be deemed a travesty of justice and fairness that the United Nations Security Council at its meeting on March 11, 2026 condemned Iran and its action against international navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz without condemning the two countries that first attacked Iran. Thirteen of the fifteen member countries of the Council passed the resolution against Iran while Russia and China, both of whom have the power of veto as permanent members, only abstained from voting. Against the grain of what is expected under normal circumstances, the international community seems to be amplifying the notion that might is right and justice is selective.
As the war continues to take its toll on innocent lives across the theatres of the ongoing conflict, especially in Iran and Israel, the right step to take now is to de-escalate it and give peace a chance. The fiery rhetoric of some Western leaders that attempt to dehumanise Iranians should stop because the world can see through the façade. Even if Iranians have also been able to prove a point by making the war costly for their attackers, it is high time they too allowed the cessation of hostilities. Let war stop immediately and let peace lead!
At this juncture, we enjoin the international community to be courageous by calling a spade and spade so that no country henceforth would dare to illegally attack another sovereign country. Indeed, the international community cannot afford to relapse from the pristine height of a rule-based system to the adoption of the law of the jungle. War is so evil that any scourge is preferrable to it. So, all efforts should be made to ensure that warmongers are not protected. Everyone has a divine responsibility to work for peace, sue for peace and pray for peace because peace is in the interest of the people. Yet, peace must be anchored on justice to be sustainable.
Therefore, Muslims are enjoined to use this blessed season in which this scenario is unfolding to supplicant fervently to Allah for world peace and security. Besides, they should counter the wrong narratives about the war as much as they can in order to guard against obfuscating the matter and confusing the world. Muslim youth are cautioned that this is not a time for carrying placards, destroying emblems or demonstrating on the streets. It is a time for the Muslim ummah to draw the right lessons and renew their commitment to absolute faith in Allah, resilience and prayers, not reliance on fake guarantees and deceptive security pacts. Muslims must learn how to take their destiny in their own hands and remain united under the banner of their common Islam because when push comes to shove, they are just pawns in the game of chess being played by the powers that be. But Allah’s will shall be done ultimately.
We pray that the Almighty Allah, the Super Power above whom there is no superior power, to grant power to the powerless, endow the ummah with strong faith and fortitude and support the cause of the oppressed people of the world.
Signed.
Prof. Emeritus Is-haq Oloyede, CON, FNAL
(Kuliyan Sokoto)
Secretary-General
