Malawi Islamic cleric condemns Boko Haram
A Muslim clerk in Malawi is strongly condemning the acts of terrorism practices by the Boko Harram extremists in Nigeria under the pretext of fighting a Jihad, saying what they are doing is contrary to the requirement of the Jihad or a holy war.
Boko Haram’s official name is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad”.
Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means Western education is forbidden.
Boko Haram sees such education as corrupting Muslims.
The group is currently keeping over 250 school girls at unknown location they abducted from one of the schools in Muslim denominated northern Nigeria.
The Malawian Islamic clerk, Abdul Noor Fundi, said terrorism has no place in Islam and that Jihan does not allow the killing of the innocent civilian people as being done by Boko Haram.
“What is being done in Nigeria is that most people who are victims to the fighting are the civilians. And also Islam totally prohibits the killing of another Muslim but what we are seeing here is that the most targeted area is the Muslim dominated area,” Fundi said on TV Malawi Broadcasting Corp (MBC).
Fundi said he suspects there is more to it than meets the eye.
“What is most disturbing about this group is that small as it is, it has sophisticated weapons. So, one would ask ‘who is funding this group? What we are seeing here is that politics is what is dominant in this group rather than religion,” he wondered.
He asked Muslims especially in the secular states like Malawi to stay away from politicians and rich people, saying such people can easily influence the mind of any educated Muslim and lead them astray.
Fundi called for Muslims and other religions to pray for peace and end of the Islamist militant group, saying “Inshallah [God willing], this will come to an end soon.”
Boko Haram is loosely modelled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
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