Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi
The Oluwo of Iwoland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has condemned the religious profiling of bandits as Muslims.
In a statement posted on his official social media page, the monarch said bandits lack all the rudiments that qualify an individual as a Muslim.
Oba Akanbi stated that bandits have none of the characteristics of Muslims, stressing that wearing a turban or bearing a particular name does not identify a person’s religion.
The traditional ruler said there are no mosques in bandits’ hideouts, adding that herdsmen also do not have mosques in their settlements. According to him, bandits do not observe the mandatory Islamic prayers, which further distinguishes them from practising Muslims.
He explained that the use of turbans by some bandits should not be interpreted as a sign of Islam, noting that many people living in desert regions who are not Muslims also wear turbans.
Oluwo further stated that the Arabic spoken by some bandits should not be linked to Islam, explaining that many Christians in Arab countries preach in Arabic and that many non-Muslims living in predominantly Islamic countries also speak the language.
The monarch expressed displeasure over what he described as the coordinated attack on Muslims through the attribution of banditry to Islam, insisting that bandits have no religion.
He urged Nigerians to stop associating the activities of bandits with Islam and called on the government to take legislative action against social media commentators who use online platforms to discredit Muslims.
Oba Akanbi said” I condemn in totality the religious profiling of bandits as Muslims. Real Muslims are not bandits. You can not see Mosque in the den of bandits. The herdsmen don’t equally have Mosque in their abode (Gaa). They have no identification of Muslim in all ramifications. “
“Bandits have no religion. Have you ever seen where bandits observe solat (Islamic mandatory prayers)? They might be wearing turban, but not only Muslims wear turban people in the desert that are not Muslims also wears turban”
“Many Churches in Arab countries use Arabic language to preach. We have people in all Islamic populated countries who are not Muslims but speak Arabic”
“The coordinated attack on Muslims is unfair. Nigerians should stop attaching the activities of bandits to Islam. The government should take legislative action on social media commentators using the free platform to discredit Muslims”