Summit Calls For Travel Ban On Iran Over Extremism

Participants at a summit that discussed the threat of growing religious extremism in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja advocated outlawing travel to Iran especially for the purpose of studies, saying the country plays a key role in radicalizing youths by teaching them extreme ideologies.

The summit on “Building a Consensus against Extremism as a Catalyst for National Integration” was organised by the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations on Human Rights and Interfaith Religious Organizations for Peace.

Resource persons and participants stressed that there was need for religious tolerance in Nigeria but however noted that radicalization by way of people forming their own communities and laws within the Nigeria state should not be allowed.

They explained that formation of states within the Nigeria State like special places of worship for some selected persons should be outlawed by legislature at federal, states and local government levels.

A resource person, Mr Ayokunle Fagbemi, the Executive Director, Center for Peace-building and Socio-Economic Resources Development (CePSERD) explained that the Boko Haram phenomenon and the incidents between the Shiite Sect and the Army were cases of “security breaches” for the country.

Fagbemi identified what he described as “political correctness” as “the major obstacle to overcome in building a consensus against extremism”.

He further noted that decision makers in Nigeria must constantly be aware that “conflict and violence entrepreneurs are taking advantage” of the countries security breaches and that a management system must be in place to address these breaches.

The Executive Director of CePSERD pointed out that it was necessary to interrogate claims made by those that try to parade religion and that the Shiite issue must be viewed from the right perspective to understand why they created another community. “Thankfully, the Chief of Army Staff was of the same faith as the Shiites, the trouble would have been difficult. No group on its own would accept (admit) extremism on its own.” He said.

In his keynote to the summit, the Guest of Honour, Dr. Udenta O. Udenta, a Former Director Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja recommended that youths must be repositioned in the post industrial society were technology and new media have the potentials of being deployed as tools for radicalization.

Dr Udenta, who explained that this week’s terror attack in Belgium was a product of failing to deal with a festering pool of radicalization in Brussels, warned that Nigeria must limit external influences in the orientation of the youths.

He declared that “Boko Haram is the product of failed Western intervention in Libya” where outside interference led to the unexpected and undesirable outcome of that country becoming a failed state.
A communiqué issued at the end of the summit urged concerted efforts towards de-radicalization of youths that have been exposed to extreme doctrine by the Shiite Sect noting that it is not desirable to have another group replace Boko Haram when it is completely defeated.

The communiqué read at the end of the summit recommended, “That the Federal and state governments must emphasize de-radicalization as a key step towards stopping the spread of extremism and that they should use the relevant security agencies to address groups that indoctrinate youths to become extreme.

“That government must immediately take concrete steps to stop the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) from metamorphosing into Nigeria’s next terror group given the recent activities that pose existential threat to Nigeria.

“That the federal government must reassess with a view to acting on its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and any other country that supports the spread of extremism on Nigerian soil. For a start, government must immediately outlaw travel to Iran especially for those going there to study since has now been established that they are easily radicalized with extremist ideology.

“That other states and the federal government should consider having their own versions of laws to regulate religious activities in view of the fact that religious extremists will seek new states to move to when they are contained elsewhere.

“That an expanded summit should hold to further expound on how to ensure religion is never again used to undermine the integrity of the nation.

“That this communiqué should be given wide publicity including being presented to the Presidency, National Assembly and the National Judicial Council that should then use policies, legislation and court pronouncement to limit foreign interference into Nigeria’s internal affairs while pushing for the outlawing of any civilian group that preaches extremism.” The communiqué read.

Participants at the event were not left out as some took out time to express their views and gains from the workshop. Mr. Yusuf Gwamna Mshelliza, North East Coalition Against Terrorism, who attended from Gwoza lamented the scourge of extremism and narrated how the Boko Haram terrorist took advantage of their extreme views to destroy life and properties within an endless spate of four years.

He further saluted the Nigerian Army under President Muhammadu Buhari for coming to the rescue of the people and warned youths at the event never to give in to extreme views in their life.

Here's a policy to cripple the Shiite Muslims in Nigeria and an insult to their sponsors, Iran. Bubu well done oooo, Iran is coming for you.

Iran here I come

Iran here I come, I'll rather avoid Saudi Arabia like plaque. Buhari you are on your own in this.

This is a welcome development.

Written by Harun Elbinawi
Re:Extremism: Summit advocates travel ban on Iran
.
My attention was drawn to the above news item in the Vanguard Newspaper of 23/03/2016 and the first thing that I did was to go to the website of the group that organized the summit “Coalition of Civil Society Organizations on Human Rights
and Interfaith Religious Organizations for Peace” and check their past activities.

What I saw shocked me as this group do not have any past activities, the message I saw under “Past Activities” was “Page under construction please check again”. This means that this group is a sponsored
faceless mushroom group that do not have any past activities to show and was used as a platform to stage this sponsored “summit” by those who masterminded and perpetrated the brutal #Zaria_Massacre that killed close to one
thousand defenseless & unarmed Nigerians in Zaria and buried them in mass graves to bury the evidences. This is the fourth group so far sponsored by the Nigerian government since after the brutal #Zaria_Massacre in its smear
campaigns of calumny and demonization against the peaceful Islamic Movement of Nigeria ( IMN ) under the leadership of His Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem # Zakzaky .

It is important to note that all the so-called “Resource persons” of this “summit” were Christians and that was deliberately done to make it look like the smear campaigns of calumny against # IMN has a “national spread”. If for example Wahhabi speakers asked the
Nigerian government to impose travel ban on # Iran, that will be very glaring to Nigerians so the war criminals who perpetrated the brutal slaughter in Zaria decided to use Christians of questionable characters to stage the sponsored “summit”.

The first “Resource person”, Mr. Ayokunle Fagbemi, is a drifter that do not have any past history of defending human rights or organizing any Interfaith Religious dialogue in Nigeria. And the second “Resource person” Udenta O. Udenta
was the director of communication and strategy of the notorious and much hated Jonathan – sponsored Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) that all Nigerians knew was a monumental fraud. Udenta O. Udenta who is jobless presently will need such venture like
sponsored “summit” to get some fast money.

One of the “Resource person” Mr Ayokunle Fagbemi said: “Thankfully, the Chief of Army Staff was of the same faith as the Shiites, the trouble would have been difficult. No group on its own would accept (admit) extremism on its own.”

The Northern civilian – military cabal that executed the brutal #Zaria_Massacre are mostly die-hard Wahhabis/Salafis who have a global genocidal agenda against Shia Muslims. And if we consider # AlQaeda as the version 1.0 then # ISIS is version 2.0 then the brutal Zaria massacre by the Nigerian Army is version 3.0 as the extreme savagery and barbarism displayed by the Nigerian Army far exceeded the crimes and atrocities of these mentioned murderous terrorist groups.

It was in the communiqué issued at the end of the sponsored “summit” that they advocated travel ban on Iran so as to prevent Nigerians from studing in Iranian institutions and seminary schools. The history of Iranian seminary institutions where Scholars are groomed is glorious and do not have a single record of producing violent terrorists. There are students from more than 120 countries of the world that are currently undergoing various courses in those schools.

Finally, the organizers behind this “summit” are the same with the organizers of the three past anti-IMN campaingns and they have one goal which is they want Nigerians to forget that they
slaughtered close to one thousand defenseless Nigerians in Zaria and buried them in mass graves to serve an evil foreign agenda that will never benefit the Nigerian nation. And they want to make Iran as a scapegoat to their crimes of
genocide against the peaceful Nigerian Shia Muslims.

# FreeZakzaky
# GodProtectZakzaky
Harun Elbinawi
elbinawi@ yahoo.com
Elbinawi.