By Ese

OF TOLERANCE AND THE KATSINA UNIVERSITY SITUATION
See how the University in Katsina is trying frantically to explain its memo that only permitted the Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria in the school and did not mention any Christian group.
The explanation they are giving is that the Memo was sent to tell Muslims they cannot form another Islamic group that is why Christian group was not mentioned as presently there is no Christian group in the school and the Muslim student group was beginning to duplicate and they mention MSSN as a way of saying those other Muslim groups are not allowed.
Now even if you say you see this as damage control or excuses, you cannot deny the fact that if the school authorities did not care for Christians at all it will not be trying to bring explanations. Don't forget this is Katsina and this is even the state the President is from, yet see the concern for Christian opinion and welfare. What would have happened if they didn't explain themselves? At the University of Benin the calling of prayers at the hostel Mosque has been ban even though the prayer is called for less than 5 minutes and even though our Christian colleagues mount speakers and scream into them every morning for hours, the Muslim Students are so patient they did not even mention it online. In Lagos it is said that a newscaster was pulled off government TV for wearing hijab, her case is not even going viral because in many of these cases fellow Muslims will say "please leave this issue, don't cause crisis, did you not read of the woman who use to put excreta on the way of the Prophet Muhammad and when the Prophet didn't see the excreta one of those days he went to ask of her welfare? Let's rather react like that" and they will even take this position to the extreme.
You people know me, i am not a politician neither are my opinions partisan, when i say Muslims are the most tolerant people in Nigeria, i truly believe it. The Muslim community before taking a decision will always ask how the Christians will see it, the community always go to the extreme to key in Christian perception of anyting we do. Of recent we did a launching where we invited Muslims from far and near to donate to the building of an Islamic Centre, we did not even bother to invite President Buhari because he will not come. You will hear "how do you want the Christians to see it? will they not think i am partial". Not just the President but almost no Muslim Governor, Senator, Rep Member, among others want to be seen around such even when for some of them the Christians in their constituency are less than 5%, they will tell you "i don't want them to think i am partial". To me this is even extremism in tolerance.
Unfortunately after all these our Christian neighbours are never satisfied and will not be satisfied by the explanation of the University's authority and we know this already as the Qur'an says:
"And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper." - Qur'an 2:120
Yet Allah enjoins on us patience and kindness towards you even though you will forever find our faults and never take our explantions.