I cant believe Nigeria can be so dumb.

Check out this link.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091227/wl_nm/us_security_airline_nigeria_feature_2

Nigeria bomber's home town blames foreign schooling
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print , By Sahabi Yahaya Sahabi Yahaya – 1 hr 22 mins ago
FUNTUA, Nigeria (Reuters) – For residents in his home town, it was Umar Abdulmutallab's foreign education, not his roots in Muslim northern Nigeria, that radicalized him and led him to try to blow up a U.S. passenger plane.

The 23-year-old London-educated Nigerian was charged on Saturday in the United States with trying to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253 as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam on Christmas Day with almost 300 people on board.

The son of a highly respected banker, Abdulmutallab's actions shocked Nigeria's wealthy elite and residents in his family's predominantly Muslim northern hometown of Funtua.

"Everyone knew the Mutallabs and the father is honest, generous, helpful and above all a prominent banker. I cannot see why his son should be involved in this act," Funtua resident Ibrahim Bello, 65, said, close to the Mutallab family home.

Like other elders from the community, Bello said Abdulmutallab's schooling abroad meant he had been brought up outside the customs of northern Nigeria, a region with a history of moderate Sufi Islam.

"My only advice to the elite is to allow their children to mingle with the children of the masses so that he will have some of the traditional morals and values that (the elder) Mutallab himself enjoyed," Bello told Reuters.

Behind him, a group of elderly men were listening to the local Hausa language services of the BBC and Voice of America radio stations, eager to hear the latest developments.

FOREIGN SCHOOLING

Abdulmutallab is from a privileged background in Africa's most populous nation, where most of an estimated 140 million people live on under $2 a day.

His father, Umaru Mutallab, retired earlier this month as chairman of First Bank, the country's oldest, after a distinguished career in finance.

Like many children from rich Nigerian homes, Abdulmutallab spent his formative years abroad. Information Minister Dora Akunyili said he had been living outside Nigeria "for a while" and only returned on the eve of the attack.

"We were shocked when we heard a report from one of the international radio stations that the son of Mutallab is involved in an act of terrorism in the United States," said Ahmed Ibrahim, one of Abdulmutallab's contemporaries.

"But many of us did not know the children of the Mutallabs because they did not grow up here in Funtua," he said, sipping Coca-Cola under the shade of a tree.

The Mutallab home in Funtua, more than 250 km (155 miles) north of the capital Abuja, is a single-story brown and white building behind big gates, larger than surrounding houses but not ostentatious.

Abdulmutallab was educated at the British School in Lome, Togo -- a boarding school mostly serving expatriates and students from around West Africa -- before studying engineering at University College London (UCL), where he is believed to have lived in a multi-million dollar city-center apartment.

One friend who knew him in London said he kept himself to himself and always wore a skullcap, rare among young Nigerian Muslims who usually wear such caps only on religious occasions.

Nigeria's This Day newspaper said he had been given the nickname "Alfa" -- a local term for an Islamic scholar -- while at school in Togo, for his preaching to other students.

He also made two trips to Yemen during his student days for short Arabic and Islamic courses, according to a family friend.

PRECEDENTS

If Abdulmutallab was radicalized outside Nigeria as many of his compatriots believe, his case would have precedents.

Ahmed Saeed Omar Sheikh, or Sheikh Omar, who was sentenced to death in Pakistan in 2002 for the killing of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl and suspected of links to the September 11, 2001 attacks, came from a similarly privileged background.

Born in Britain in the early 1970s, Omar was the son of a wholesale clothes merchant from Wanstead in northeast London who went to an expensive school but dropped out of one of Britain's top universities, the London School of Economics.

Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north has seen bouts of religious unrest. But while some Western diplomats have expressed concern that its huge population and widespread poverty could attract foreign Islamic extremists, there has been no conclusive evidence of such a presence in the country.

Clashes between security forces and a radical Islamic sect called Boko Haram -- which wanted a wider adoption of sharia (Islamic law) -- killed hundreds of people in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri in July.

But Islamic jurisprudence in Nigeria is based on the moderate Maliki school of Sunni Islam and Boko Haram's ideology is dismissed by the country's Muslim leaders and most believers.

Young Muslims who grew up in Funtua insist it was Abdulmutallab's life overseas, which they view as alien, not Nigerian Islam that gave rise to his extremist views.

"We the children of the masses in this country, we don't know anything about terrorism because our parents are poor. They don't have the money to take us abroad," said 25-year old student and Funtua resident Usman Mati.

(Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Robin Pomeroy)

"Everyone knew the Mutallabs and the father is honest, generous, helpful and above all a prominent banker. I cannot see why his son should be involved in this act," Funtua resident Ibrahim Bello, 65, said, close to the Mutallab family home.

Like other elders from the community, Bello said Abdulmutallab's schooling abroad meant he had been brought up outside the customs of northern Nigeria, a region with a history of moderate Sufi Islam.

"My only advice to the elite is to allow their children to mingle with the children of the masses so that he will have some of the traditional morals and values that (the elder) Mutallab himself enjoyed," Bello told Reuters

Totoeater:

I cant believe Nigeria can be so dumb.

Check out this link.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091227/wl_nm/us_security_airline_nigeria_feature_2

well, are people from that area moderate muslims?

BOKO HORAM is from abroad too!

I thought someone in this nairaland once said that western education is needed to stop islamic radicalism in nigeria?

since when has western education stopped any Nigerian from taking up arms for whatever cause they feel like dying for?

but its true. . .did u read the article that u posted?

i doubt he would have become a terrorist if he schooled in nigeria and mingled with christians and muslims while growing up

further more a lot of these radical islamists are radicalized in london and other european capitals

but all these is medicine after death. . .

he is lucky he did not kill anyone

he might get away with 30yrs or something,at least he can still come out and have kids

although like the shoe bomber he may get life

america is the worst place he can spend a life sentence in. . .

he would fare better in europe

i kinda feel bad for the kid cause he has obviously been brainwashed. . .

he will begin to miss his family terribly soon. . .

plus he is little they might turn him into a bit*ch in prison. . .sigh

And now they are blaming western education. Retards!!!

I personally dont see why he had to have Arabic classes in Yemen even if he has family ties there. Especially given the fact that his father and possibly his mother werent with him.

He could have attended classes in Turkey or Morocco if it was that important for him to learn Arabic.

not saying its foolproof protection from indoctrination but still.

there are people roaming to and fro looking for footsoldiers to devour.

anyway, hindsight is always 100%

Wait a minute! Where in that article did they blame WESTERN education. The only thing I saw was FOREIGN education. We already know he spent time in Yemen and Egypt.

Mariory:

Wait a minute! Where in that article did they blame WESTERN education. The only thing I saw was FOREIGN education. We already know he spent time in Yemen and Egypt.

He schooled in UCL london.That means it is western education.If he schooled in Yemen and Egypt then let us assume it is Islamic education in which hausa moslems prefer.Those maistainstine and boko haramites are they not adherents to islamic education?

Well, @Poster, unless the idiots can produce the school curriculum listing SUICIDE BOMBING as part of the requirements for his course, I see no meaning to this, as this is just expected stupid rants we get from dishonest Nigerians. They are probably NOT telling you the truth about the boy and trying to blame Foreign education for it all. News has it that his own father turned him in to authorities 2 years ago. That alone is indication that this boy has not always been as honest, decent, generous as they are trying to make his father seem.

asha 80:

He schooled in UCL london.That means it is western education.If he schooled in Yemen and Egypt then let us assume it is Islamic education in which hausa moslems prefer.Those maistainstine and boko haramites are they not adherents to islamic education?

I disagree. You are adding your own meaning to what they have said. The article cleary states foreign education. It goes on to mention his time in Togo, UK, Yemen, and Egypt. So how did it turn to Western education? The thread title (peharps unintentionally) has misguided people. It's called the Power of Suggestion.

like I said before- is the region he comes from, known for moderate islam.

Sending him to Yemen where he could be exposed to radicalists, might have been rethuoght if they didnt want that possibility.

Its like someone being on NL and turning into a radical after being exposed to some instigating rhetoric here.

He schooled in UCL london.That means it is western education.If he schooled in Yemen and Egypt then let us assume it is Islamic education in which hausa moslems prefer.Those maistainstine and boko haramites are they not adherents to islamic education?

Doesn't really matter. Infact, that is probably why he did this. He likely came in contact with these terrorist when in london. They have a huge presence in london, and his extremist views were fed by his stay in Europe.

like I said before- is the region he comes from, known for moderate islam.

There is no such thing as moderate islam. It is the individual that decides what Islam really means.

His families outlook is very deeply religous, extremism is only a small step away.

SEFAGO:

There is no such thing as moderate islam. It is the individual that decides what Islam really means.

there is moderate Islam.

The problem is when moderates turn into extremists.

Northern Nigerians are moderate Muslims, yet they kill when somebody draws Muhammed?

Kenezi:

Northern Nigerians are moderate Muslims, yet they kill when somebody draws Muhammed?

it depends on the region.

besides, tribal loyalties are often disguised as religion.

there is moderate Islam.

The problem is when moderates turn into extremists.

I repeat, Islam can never be moderate. Its the individual that decides. We could do without religion in my own opinion.

SEFAGO:

I repeat, Islam can never be moderate. Its the individual that decides. We could do without religion in my own opinion.

there are countries practicing moderate Islam.

I agree with SEFAGO---- no such thing as moderate Islam. Islam just like Xtianity is open to personal interpretations and extremely subjective ideologies.



Islam is Islam and open to interpretation.

there are countries practicing moderate Islam.

Doesnt really matter its all name name. Islam is generally a violently proselytizing religion  However, it depends on how individuals read it.  If the religious leaders of this moderate countries decide to change how they interpreted Islam then things would change.

IMO, Nigeria should go the way of Turkey. My idea of Islam is secular Muslims.

SEFAGO:

Doesn't really matter. Infact, that is probably why he did this. He likely came in contact with these terrorist when in london. They have a huge presence in london, and his extremist views were fed by his stay in Europe.

Agreed that in london there are breeding grounds for terrorists,it does not cut it for me by blaming it on 'foreign education'.Those guys that attacked christians in northern nigeria when a cartoon of Mohhamed was drawn in denmark,mainstatine guys and boko haram peeps are terrorists in the true definition of the word and these guys i seriously doubt if they had 'foreign educatio'.All they need is to step up their game to be identified as suicide bombers

I agree with SEFAGO---- no such thing as moderate Islam. Islam just like Xtianity is open to personal interpretations and extremely subjective ideologies.

Moreover christianity was always a violent religion before, but no where in the new testament is violent proselytizing encouraged.

I am not biased towards any religion but the truth is the truth

remember Usman Dan Fodio?

Sefago are you a tribalist?

asha 80:

Sefago are you a tribalist?

and what if he is?

Does that whitewash your own tribalism in some way?

anyway, from BBC

After graduating in 2008, he told his family he wanted to continue learning, by moving to an Arab country to study Arabic.

His family told the BBC Mr Abdulmutallab's parents decided to send him to Dubai to study for a post-graduate degree in business management, thinking he would benefit from its cosmopolitan nature and would not be exposed to extremist influences.

But despite his parents' objections, he abandoned the course before it was finished, saying he was no longer interested and had found an alternative course in Yemen.

He said the seven-year programme would cost nothing and that it did not matter if his Nigerian passport expired - he would be able to obtain a Yemeni one.

When his mother contacted him to urge him to reconsider, Mr Abdulmutallab told her not to get in touch again as he had found "a new life" and they no longer had any ties to him.

It was at this point, the BBC was told, that Mr Mutallab attempted to travel to Yemen to bring his son home. He also sought help from the US, Nigerian and Saudi authorities, telling them he was concerned by his son's behaviour.

seems like he met with extremists in England

U must be kidding, throwing the name tribalist around like mekusxxx- well no, I am actually crazier than that, I am a pan-africanist, in my own opinion tribe and religion should be discarded and everyone should speak only one language Yoruba

I dont hate any tribe mate, I am in white mans land every black person is my friend

SEFAGO:

U must be kidding, throwing the name tribalist around like mekusxxx- well no, I am actually crazier than that, I am a pan-africanist, in my own opinion tribe and religion should be discarded and everyone should speak only one language Yoruba

I dont hate any tribe mate, I am in white mans land every black person is my friend

Your sig suggests otherwise.