The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has strongly condemned the killing of innocent people in the name of religion, declaring that anyone who commits such acts while shouting “Allahu Akbar” is destined for hell.
Speaking at the first triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, the Sultan said violence and criminality are too often wrongly portrayed as religious conflicts, a situation he warned is fueling division and mistrust across the country.
The respected traditional ruler, who co-chairs NIREC, spoke alongside the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
According to the Sultan, criminal acts should not be linked to any faith.
“Let us get the narrative right. It is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it,” he said.
“Let us call them what they are — criminals. Not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits. Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”
He also blamed ignorance and false religious teachings for contributing to extremism, stressing that speaking Arabic does not automatically make someone an Islamic scholar.
“The fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. So literacy is very important,” he added.
The Sultan further stated that those who attack innocent people in the name of religion would face divine punishment.
“Somebody can go to the market, blow himself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great, but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives,” he said.
Credit: Vanguard
