The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ( NSCIA) yesterday protested the airing on national television, a certain political campaign documentary considered offensive to adherents of the Islamic faith in Nigeria.
The NSCIA accused the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC) abdicating its responsibility of regulating the contents of the documentary and warned that such messages could trigger a religious war. Secretary General, NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who authored the protest letter, disclosed that the advertisement which has been aired on Nigeria Television Authority( NTA) was sponsored by a group called the “Initiative for Peaceful Elections,” apparently on behalf of a political party. In a statement marked SGHQ/ADMIN/0060/ 4/8/2/2015, said that the documentary contained “concocted” information “which embarrassingly maligns Islam and portrays Nigerian Muslins in bad light.”.He argued that by airing such a documentary on a national television station owned by the Federal Government, the NSCIA considered it a provocative action capable of sending a dangerous signal to the populace of a seemingly impending religious war. “Taken along with the current public utterances of some political and religious leaders in the country, the contents of the advertisement are suggestive of a dangerous hidden agenda.
“Incidentally, unassailable facts show that over eighty per cent of the victims of the 2011 post- election violence to which the advertisement in question refers were Muslins. These facts are available in both the reports and the White Papers of the Federal and Kaduna State government’s panels on the crisis. “Such an insensitive public attack on Islam and Nigerian Muslims is capable of provoking some Muslims and thereby elicit a reaction in the like manner which may lead to further crisis, “he said.
Oloyode appealed to the NBC to be alert to its responsibilities and ensure that a religious war does not ensue as a result of dereliction of its duties in the broadcast industry. “Islam is not a candidate for an office in the coming general elections and it is never expected that any individual or group with the right frame of mind would want to drag this religion of Allah into politics. By condoning that provocative advertisement or any of its type, the NBC and indeed the Federal Government may inadvertently be setting a stage for avoidable religious crisis.
A stitch in time, saves nine,” Oloyode warned. The NSCIA, however, appealed to all Muslims and the generality of Nigerians to remain calm and avoid any negative reactions that could truncate the process of conducting free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
Source: New Telegraph
The NSCIA accused the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC) abdicating its responsibility of regulating the contents of the documentary and warned that such messages could trigger a religious war. Secretary General, NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who authored the protest letter, disclosed that the advertisement which has been aired on Nigeria Television Authority( NTA) was sponsored by a group called the “Initiative for Peaceful Elections,” apparently on behalf of a political party. In a statement marked SGHQ/ADMIN/0060/ 4/8/2/2015, said that the documentary contained “concocted” information “which embarrassingly maligns Islam and portrays Nigerian Muslins in bad light.”.He argued that by airing such a documentary on a national television station owned by the Federal Government, the NSCIA considered it a provocative action capable of sending a dangerous signal to the populace of a seemingly impending religious war. “Taken along with the current public utterances of some political and religious leaders in the country, the contents of the advertisement are suggestive of a dangerous hidden agenda.
“Incidentally, unassailable facts show that over eighty per cent of the victims of the 2011 post- election violence to which the advertisement in question refers were Muslins. These facts are available in both the reports and the White Papers of the Federal and Kaduna State government’s panels on the crisis. “Such an insensitive public attack on Islam and Nigerian Muslims is capable of provoking some Muslims and thereby elicit a reaction in the like manner which may lead to further crisis, “he said.
Oloyode appealed to the NBC to be alert to its responsibilities and ensure that a religious war does not ensue as a result of dereliction of its duties in the broadcast industry. “Islam is not a candidate for an office in the coming general elections and it is never expected that any individual or group with the right frame of mind would want to drag this religion of Allah into politics. By condoning that provocative advertisement or any of its type, the NBC and indeed the Federal Government may inadvertently be setting a stage for avoidable religious crisis.
A stitch in time, saves nine,” Oloyode warned. The NSCIA, however, appealed to all Muslims and the generality of Nigerians to remain calm and avoid any negative reactions that could truncate the process of conducting free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
Source: New Telegraph
