The Nigerian media and its audience seemed to be less informed
about the Sheikh Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement Nigeria. One can easily
understand how this media operate locally, often hunting for sensational
stories and going ahead to publish them without little or no investigation.
To have a clue of why the members of the Islamic Movement in
Nigeria are expressing solidarity for Lt .Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his
country, Iran, it is pertinent to know the mission of the movement and its
history as well.
Going back to memory lane, in 2004, when Sheikh Ahmad Yasin,
a leader of Hamas movement was assassinated in Palestine, despite being a
Sunni-Muslim, the Islamic Movement that majority of its members are
theologically Shia mourned his murder and decorated their schools and centres
with his pictures.
In July 2006, when a war broke out between Israel and
Lebanon, the Islamic Movement that was siding with the Lebanese resistance
movement, Hezbollah, reported every bit of the feats recorded by the Lebanese
group in its Hausa newspaper, Almizan, which was then among the most widely
circulated newspapers with readers in Nigeria and some parts of Niger Republic.
After the United Nations-brokered ceasefire on 14 August,
2006 following the 34-day war, members of the Islamic Movement celebrated the
ceasefire as a victory for the Hezbollah. Public gatherings where held and
Hausa songs that eulogized Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah, its Secretary-General where
played in solidarity with the Lebanese armed movement. Sometimes, Hezbollah’s
martial songs are being played to express solidarity with the group.
It is also crucial to underscore that the events happening in
the Occupied Palestine and the atrocities committed by the Israeli Defense
Force (IDF) against them is always at the fingertips on Sheikh Zakzaky’s
followers. They keenly follow local and international news, precisely that of
the Middle East. This spurs them to join people of conscience globally to
commemorate the International Quds Day. Annually, the event is marked in more
than 22 Nigerian cities with millions in attendance.
Notwithstanding the cordial bilateral relationship that
exists between Nigeria and Israel, flags of Israel and its allies are
desecrated after the ‘Death to Israel’ chants that resonate throughout the
peaceful processions.
There’s no gainsaying that the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is
no friend to Israel and its allies. In 2010, when Sheikh Zakzaky was called to
address a conference jointly organized by Universal Justice Network and the
Islamic Human Rights Commission in London, a popular Israeli newspaper, Jerusalem
Post mischievously reported the Sheikh’s outing as “Anti-Semitic preacher to
address London conference” and in less than an hour after public outcry for
describing the scholar as anti-Semite , the publication backslid, changing the
content and headline of the report to “Islamic movement preacher to address
London conference”.
Prior to that, the Islamic Movement’s Resource Forum had in
May 2008 organized a conferencein Kaduna to condemn the illegality of the
occupation of Palestine over the last 60 years, then. The event had
participants from the press, academia, and civil servants among others.
The Syrian Civil War was another evidence that the Islamic
Movement is that is out to seek social justice as preached by Prophet Muhammad
and his progeny. The movement supported the democratically elected government
of Bashar Al-Assad despite efforts to topple his government by the United
States of America and impose their stooge. Sheikh Zakzaky, leader of the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria had unanimously stated that, they are not in
support of every decisions taken by Assad but they are behind the Syrian
presidentat that trying time.
Similarly, during the 2011 post-election violence that led to
loss of lives and properties especially in the northern part of Nigeria, the
benevolent leader shielded Christians who were prone to attacks by mobsters. As
an influential personality his subjects, he ordered all his disciples to do the
same wherever they are. This humanitarian gesture had saved many non-Muslims
would have been unjustly killed.
Few months after, in an interview with Sunday Trust, the
leader accused Nigerian politicians of being the architects of the carnage for
political reasons by dividing people along religious and ethnic lines.
Shortly after the Zaria Massacre that hundreds of Sheikh
Zakzaky’s followers were killed extra judicially, famous Saudi Arabian preacher
and activist, Sheikh Nimr Baqeer Nimr was executed by Saudi government on 2nd
January, 2016, members the Islamic Movement whose leader’s whereabouts was
still unknown to them after being whisked away by men of the Nigerian military,
came out en masse to condemn the killing late Nimr.
The absence of Sheikh Zakzaky didn’t change the ideals of the
movement for fighting against injustice and standing with the oppressed, rain
or shine.
Furthermore, in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia first invaded
Yemen, under the pretext of installing its ally, Abdu Rabbu Mansur Hadi,
Yemen’s fugitive president, at different occasions Sheikh Zakzaky had condemned
the invasion before his illegal detention. As expected, members of the Islamic
Movement since the inception of the crisis have remained with the Ansarullah
fighters, who are resisting Saudi’s military action against their country.
In the same vein, when an African-American journalist was
recently detained in America, Marzieh Hashemi, supporters of Sheikh Zakzaky who
come out daily to protest his illegal detention in Abuja used their hard-earned
money to print placards, calling for her release.
Now fast-forward to January, 2020, when General Qassem
Soleimani, commander of IRGC’s Quds Force was assassinated in an airstrike in
Iraq, which the US claimed responsibility. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria
immediately issued a statement condemning the action by the United States.
Hours later, members of the movement in Abuja and other cities took to the
streets holding posters and banners of the slain military General chanting
anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. Afterwards, the US flag was desecrated.
Expectedly, because of Nigeria’s age long bilateral
relationship with the US, it generated a great furore over the Nigerian media
space. Before one can say Jack Robinson it had gone viral. Newspapers, blogs
and TV stations that hardly report the activities of the movement all carried
the news. It was a calculated move by the media to further show that there’s a
string holding the Islamic Movement and Iran, but mischievously.
Like the people Islamic Movement had mourned and supported in
the past, Soleimani is an oppressed person.Despite restoring stability in Syria
and Iraq after ISIS held them on rampage, he was instead rewarded with murder,
in the most bestial way. There is a need to underscore the fact that, the
movement is not mourning Soleimani as a ‘Late Iranian General’, but as a person
who had paid his dues by serving his country, region, humanity and most
importantly his religion by adamantly resisting imperialists.
The armchair analysts that are often called upon by the media
to comment on issues that affect the Sheikh Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in
Nigeria before feeding gullible audiences with half-truths. The Islamic
Movement in its quest to seek social justice for all had stood with the
oppressed not minding their race, religion or social status and will continue doing
it till hell freezes.
Mahdi writes from Jos
No comments