The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
yesterday rejected Bishop Matthew Kukah’s almajiri initiative to train
10 million almajiris in northern Nigeria.
The MURIC director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said in a statement that Kukah’s idea raises more questions than answers.
He said Kukah’s proposal is a ploy for evangelization, modern colonialism, and a potential time bomb.
“We
all agree that something must be done about the almajiri children. We
can welcome ideas from everyone but the implementation must be in the
hands of Muslims in the region. Any other thing will make the intention
questionable. We cannot pretend to be so naive as to entrust our Muslim
children to the hands of Christian gospellers. As far as we are
concerned, Kukah’s almajiri dream is a Trojan horse.
“These
children have teachers even if the system is unconventional. The parents
entrusted them to the teachers and learning still takes place somehow.
Can any Christian community allow an Islamic organization to take their
children away just like that? What is the fate of the children taken
from Chibok to an Edo IDP centre in 2014? Whatever the situation may be,
we wish to caution Northern Muslims, particularly the elders, never to
allow it to happen.
“Instead of allowing Christian missionaries
to seize this kind of initiative, Northern Muslims should empower
available Muslim NGOs to cater for almajiri children. We know from
experience that whatever happens will be a point of reference in the
near future. Who will bear the shame at that time? We, therefore, advise
state governments in the region to rearrange their priorities and
concentrate on the education and welfare of almajiri children,” Akintola
said.
While saying that it is indisputable fact is that almajiri
is essentially a system practiced by northern Muslims and that it is
not part of Christendom, he wondered if Rev. Kukah prefers to alleviate
poverty among Muslims to doing same among Christians.
He said,
“Is he (Kukah) telling us that he loves to assist Muslims more than he
loves to help Christians? Can Rev. Kukah give any guarantee that those
children will remain the same at the end of his intervention? It is
modern colonialism. When did the reverend father suddenly develop so
much love for Muslims that he has now decided to give them preference
above his Christian folks?
“Are there no poverty-stricken
children in the Christian majority Middle Belt particularly in Benue and
Plateau? Why can’t he take his project there? This type of project
demands trust. No NGO can successfully train children or adults in an
atmosphere of mutual distrust.”
He added there were no less than
five NGOs that specialize in eliminating poverty among vulnerable people
and that one of them, the Almajiri Child Right Initiative (ACRI),
specializes in almajiri affairs.
