₦airaland Forum

#WomenOppression (I)
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

In year 2000, precisely 19 years ago, 18 year-old Shamzah Almaktoum, daughter of Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Muhammed Almaktoum escaped from Dubai to UK, over what she described as extreme oppression of women, by her father and his government.

The father eventually sent kidnappers to abduct her from UK and return her to Dubai, which they did, kept her in isolation and has remained there ever since.

8 years later, Shamzat's kid sister, Latifah Almoktoum also attempted to escape from UAE. She was caught at Dubai's border and returned to the country.

She was also kept in solitary confinement for 3years, 4 months, before being allowed to relate with her mother and other family members.

But Latifat didn't want to give up her quest for freedom. Last year, she executed her planned escape. Even though she successfully left UAE, her greatest mistake was massaging her family back home while still on the Indian shore.

Before getting to her destination, she was located through air and sea surveillance and abducted by naval military sent by her father.

Fortunately for her, she did an exclusive video before embarking on this mission, explaining everything about her father and his many atrocities.

Her whereabouts still remains unknown, but her recorded video is being used by her friends to advocate for her.

Last month, Haya Almoktoum, the wife of Muhammad Almaktoum, Prime Minister of UAE also fled Dubai to UK, where she's currently hiding. She already filed for divorce in UK over similar issues.

The point here is that, if the wife and female children of Dubai and UAE ruler are facing such an extreme situation, requiring them to seek escape from their own father, family and country, just imagine what ordinary women in such country would be going through, not to talk of mere female immigrants?

#WomenOppression

Abdulrazaq Hamzat

Only fools get angry
By Abdulrazaq Hamzat

Never get angry if you are not a foolish person, why because, only fools get angry.

Anger, some of you see it as your weapon of expression against perceived life unpleasantness, but in reality, it is actually a poison that brings you greater unpleasantness.

If I am to give you only one advice, the advice would simply be that, ‘’no matter the provocation, getting enraged is not an option, actually it is the most foolish thing to do’’.

Che Guevara, a revolutionary fighter had once said,’’ if you are in rage, you are one of us’’ and I say, if you are out of rage, you are one of us. If you are really out of rage, you are definitely one of us, said Sadhguru, a teacher of inner engineering.

Anger has been eulogized beyond reasonability in human experience and as a result of this undue eulogy, people often praise themselves for their prowess in getting angry.

In Yoruba circle, temperamental people often say about themselves, ‘’mo man binu gan’’, which literally means someone self-claiming their ability to get angry seamlessly.

The mentality amongst many is that, certain life situations can only be confronted with anger and people who seamlessly get angry see it as a kind of tool to confront life unpleasantness, hence the self-glorification.

The real question is, if you are marginalized, oppressed, violated and betrayed by people, is it justifiable to get angry? I mean, is there ever a time that one should be in rage or to be enraged about the injustice of the world?

Sadhguru from India, a teacher of inner engineering explains that, you only think there is a reason for your anger, which is a wrong perception. Every wise person understands that anger is a foolish man’s way of responding to life issues.

If you look at it critically, people get terribly angry at home with their loved ones, i mean people they are living with, yet they bring a whole lot of violence, both physical and emotional violence within their homes. Usually, this happens when they are angry with somebody they are living with, somebody they love and care for. It doesn’t matter if it’s their friends, family, spouse or relatives; they still bring on the violence when they are angry.

So, what happens if they are angry with people they don’t know, love or cared about? You can only imagine.

The point here is that, they may claim to have good reasons to be angry. Everybody always do. May be because she didn’t cook the food on time, or because he didn’t drop enough money for the family, or maybe she came back home late. Some people yell, break and scream at each other even on a date, when they are supposed to be having a good time. Angry people always have good reasons to be angry.

But this is what you should know. When you are angry, every doctor knows this, that when you are angry, literally, you are generating poison within your own system, literally, that is exactly what you are doing. You are poisoning yourself.

So, if you are poisoning yourself internally, simply because you want to react to external issues or behavior of other people, don’t you think something is terribly wrong with you?

When you are angry, you know as much as I do, that when you are angry, you do the most idiotic things in your life. When you turn back and see what you did during your moment of rage, even you can’t believe you did it. Basically, the most idiotic things in your life are done when you are angry.

So, the question is, is anger an intelligent expression of human life or an idiotic way of reacting to issues? Since you are literally poisoning your own system, you will agree with me that it is an idiotic expression of human life. That’s all you need to know. The next time you are angry, you should just know that you are foolish.

According to Sadhguru, the reason why anger has been eulogized is that, in a moment of rage or anger, some people who have been sleeping all their life propelled themselves into action and that action produced some results. Yes, that can happen.

You know, it may so happen that, if I throw a stone at you, instead of hitting you, the stone hits a mango on the mango tree behind you and a ripe mango fell into your hands.

But you know, that’s by accident.

Generally speaking, if I throw a stone at you, your head will crack. That is what is supposed to happen. Anger is a way of turning against yourself. Even though you might also hurt your opponent in the process, you will actually hurt yourself in greater proportion.

The legendary Nelson Mandela of South Africa had once said, hate is like poisoning yourself and hoping that your enemy dies. He went further to state that, ‘’nobody is born hating another person’’, and I say that, anger actually leads to hatred. You cannot hate what you are not angry against.

So, it is safe to conclude that, getting angry is like poisoning yourself and hoping that the other person gets paralyzed.

When you are angry, you yell and fume at other people, but if i ask you, do you enjoy being yelled and fumed at by somebody else? You know the answer will be in the negative.

Whether it is your parent, your husband, your wife, your boss or anybody, you don’t enjoy being yelled and fumed at.

So, if you do not enjoy it, what makes you feel like somebody else deserve it?

They endure you, they don’t enjoy you.

So, if I am to give you only one advice, the advice would simply be that, ‘’no matter the provocation, getting enraged is not an option, actually it is the most foolish thing to do’’.

Abdulrazaq Hamzat writes from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached on discus4now@gmail.com

Olawepo-Hashim Challenges Middle-Belt Leaders to End Violence in Nigeria

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Olawepo-Hashim Challenges Middle-Belt Leaders to End Violence in Nigeria
editorAugust 3, 2019 6:24 Am
Nseobong Okon-Ekong

In the midst of prevailing insecurity all over the country, a call has gone out to leaders of the Middle-belt region, one of the most vulnerable parts, to pick up the challenge of proffering solutions to the spate of widespread violence in the country.

Businessman and former Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Trust, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim said that the Middle-Belt region remained the bridge for the unity of Nigeria, and should therefore continuously be at the forefront of facilitating national reconciliation towards the good governance of the country.

The entrepreneur who lately ran for the nation’s presidency stressed that Middle-Belt leaders did not have any reason to despair, despite travails of nationhood, as there were no triumphs without trials.

“The Middle-Belt is doing its best. We should continue to do this in the interest of our dear nation and for future generation,” Olawepo-Hashim said to the applause of the audience at the launch of the autobiography of Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, ‘My Testimony’ in Abuja.

He said Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, was an outstanding Middle-Belt figure, “he has been in the forefront of the fight for national unity, in utmost expression of his nationalism, and in the defence of national values.”

According to the political thinker, Dan Suleiman had been humble in and out of office, and had been exemplary as a beacon of hope for newer generations. “The foundation that the legend is setting up is one that will communicate his virtues and values. He is not arrogant. He is God-fearing and has been a fighter for democracy by severally putting his life on the line.”

Olawepo-Hashim noted that the political legend remained an epitome of excellence and of doggedness, but it is unfortunate that people of lower achievements were now rather being celebrated instead of living legends like Dan Suleiman.

The cerebral politician reiterated that; “We must not lose focus of the gains from the Middle-Belt despite provocations. We paid dearly for our national unity. We must continue to do this, because our task is not over yet. We remain a vehicle to unite the country.”

Echoing Olawepo-Hashim’s viewpoint, Dan Suleiman said the role of nation building is an onerous one, requiring all hands to be on deck. “The Middle-Belt has been playing the role of a mediator and cannot afford to shirk this responsibility”

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/08/03/olawepo-hashim-challenges-middle-belt-leaders-to-end-violence-in-nigeria/

*Save dying Unilorin accident victim*

Leading Pro-democracy group in Kwara state, Kwara Must Change has called on the authorities of University of Ilorin and the general public to save a 300 level student of University of Ilorin, Okon Joseph Bright who has been lying helplessly for months, at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital due to a motor accident, which has rendered him incapacitated.

In a statement by the Convener of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said Okon Joseph Bright, who is from Akwa Ibom State is a 300level history student, in the faculty of art, at the better by far, University of Ilorin.

According to Kwara Must Change, on 28th December, 2015, Okon was involved in a fatal motor accident, which rendered him paralyzed, adding that, despite his paralyzed state, he could not raise the required financial resources to access necessary medical surgery to be able to use wheel chair.

"Since 2015 when this unfortunate accident happened, his family back in Akwa Ibom state couldn't do much for him and he has been left to his faith"

Hamzat explained that, a good Samaritan, one Dr Popoola Aderibigbe at the UITH, Oke Oyi in Kwara State volunteered to assist him in December 2018 and this good Samaritan took him back to UITH and since that period, he has been at the Uith under the care of this good Nigerian doctor.

Hamzat explained further that, even though the good Samaritan doctor has been helping him since December, there's little he can do alone. The enormity of the finances needed to perform the necessary surgical operations is beyond is capacity of the doctor, hence the need for public outcry.

According to available information, Okon is suffering from what was described as Incorporate paralysis, currently being managed by orthopaedic.

Presently at Uith in male surgical ward on bed 3 and he requires about N2000,000 to stand a chance of living again.

Kwara Must Change therefore call on all people of goodwill to save the live of this young man with whatever support we can raise.

He can be reached on 08066380417.

You can also visit him at UITH, male surgical ward, bed 3.

You can also support him by donating to the account of his helper below:

GTBank
Makinde Michael Kayode
0115937845

MIDDLE-BELT IS A BRIDGE FOR NIGERIA'S UNITY- Olawepo Hashim

Business mogul, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has said that the Middle-Belt region remains the bridge for the unity of Nigeria, and should therefore continuously be at the forefront of facilitating National Reconciliation towards the good governance of the country.

The entrepreneur who lately ran for the nation’s presidency stressed that Middle-Belt leaders do not have any reason to despair, despite travails of nationhood, as there are no triumphs without trials.

“The Middle Belt is doing its best. We should continue to do this in the interest of our dear nation and for future generation,”

Olawepo-Hashim said to the applause of the audience at the launching of the autobiography of Air Commodore Dan Suleiman “My Testimony” in Abuja on Tuesday.

Citing the example of Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, for instance, he said as an outstanding Middle-Belt figure, he has been in the forefront of the fight for National Unity, in utmost expression of his nationalism, and in the defence of national values.

According to the political thinker, Dan Suleiman has been humble in and out of office, and has been exemplary as a beacon of hope for newer generations. “The foundation that the legend is setting up is one that will communicate his virtues and values. He is not arrogant. He is god fearing and has been a fighter for democracy by severally putting his life on the line”

Olawepo-Hashim noted that the political legend remains an epitome of excellence and of doggedness, but it is unfortunate that people of lower achievements are now rather being celebrated instead of living legends like Dan Suleiman.

The cerebral politician reiterated that: “We must not lose focus of the gains from the Middle-Belt despite provocations.

We paid dearly for our national unity. We must continue to do this, because our task is not over yet. We remain a vehicle to unite the country”.

Echoing Olawepo-Hashim’s viewpoint, Dan Suleiman said the role of nation building is an onerous one, requiring all hands to be on deck. “The Middle-Belt has been playing the role of a mediator and cannot afford to shirk this responsibility”

Present at the event, which held at the Nigerian Air force Conference Centre, Jahi, are the Chief of Air Staff, Air Commodore Sadiq Abubakar, former Governor of Kwara State, Chief C. O. Adebayo, Chief of Staff to the Benue State Governor, Chief Terwase Obunde, and a host of others.
END

Sunni Vs Shia divide, politics or religion?

Editor's note: Abuja-based public affairs analyst, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, writes on the seemingly Sunni Vs Shia division in Nigeria, warning that Nigerian authorities must apply some wisdom in handling the issue, before it becomes too sophisticated for Nigerian leaders to contain.

Read below:

The conflict betw een and Shia is deeply rooted and intractable, it has existed for almost 1400 years.

Before I proceed to discuss the conflict as requested by some of my friends here, let me note that Islam forbid division of any kind.

And beyond forbidding such segregation, Quran specifically frown at association with those that break away into sects.

In Q3:103, Allah said:

‘’And hold firmly, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretch out to you), and be not divided among yourselves.

Quran 6: 159 also went on to warn that:

‘’Indeed, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no part with them in their least.

It is based on the above verses and others like them that I hold the view that, any sect or division in Islam, be it Sunni and Shia or several other sub-sect that exists are not adhering to the dictate of Islam. They actually have nothing to do with the religion of Islam.

So, having made my position clear on sects in general, let me now move to the main issue of discuss, which is the conflict between Sunni and Shia.

What led to the divide?

The divide between Shiite and Sunni is traced to 632 A.D, when Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) died and a debate emerged about who should be his successor.

One group (which eventually became the Shiites) felt that the Prophet’s successor should be someone in his bloodline, particularly his cousin Ali, while the other group (which became the Sunnis) felt that a pious individual and companion of the Prophet, Abubakar should lead. Both Abubakar and Ali are very close to the prophet and they are both very learned and competent.

At the end, leadership position was passed to Abubakar by the majority, but Ali felt cheated and he didn’t pledge his allegiance.

It took him over 6 months to do so, but before he eventually did, the followers were already divided into two, Shia Ali (followers of Ali) and the other Muslims, who eventually became Sunni.

Why they differ on who should lead

The group that eventually became Shia claimed that the Prophet had anointed Ali to be his successor before his death, while the other group which became Sunni said it’s not true.

Here, it is important to clarify that, while Ali is Prophet Muhammed’s cousin who is very young, he is also the husband of the Prophet’s only surviving daughter, Fatima.

Abubakar on the other hand is not just the Prophet’s trusted companion and an elderly man; he is also the father of one of the Prophet’s wife, Aisha.

After the death of Abubakar, leadership mantle was passed to the next trusted companion Umar, and to the next one Uthman, before it eventually became Ali’s turn when Uthman was assassinated by those who felt he was not ruling well, some of which were Ali’s supporters.

Let it be clear that, while Ali openly disagreed with Uthman on certain policy and appointment issues, he wasn’t aware of any conspiracy against him. As a matter of fact, when Information leaked about certain conspiracy to kill Uthman, Ali sent 2 of his children to join those guarding the leader, but somehow, the plotter succeeded and Uthman was martyred.

Naturally, Ali was the next to lead, but at first, he declined to take the position when offered and others offered after him also declined too.

However, the community eventually came together to persuade Ali and after much plea, he accepted to lead.

Uthman's Family versus Ali's Family

When Ali took charge, he was reported to have reshuffled the cabinet and the other group felt alienated, which made them unhappy, including the Prophet's widow, Aisha.

A group led by Uthman's cousin, Muawiyah whom Ali had tried to replace as the Governor of Syria, successfully overran Ali's newly appointed Governors. This was the first major arm confrontation and violence within the Muslim community and as a result, the Muslim community was divided into two. One of the group's was led by Ali and the other by Uthman’s cousin, Muawiyah.

Several interventions were initiated without any resolution.

Finally, some how, negotiation was done and Ali accepted the verdict to the displeasure of some section of his own followers. In the crisis that ensured between his own camp, Ali was assassinated by Khawarij (breakaway), and his son Hassan negotiated a peace treaty with Muawiyah.

After Hassan and Muawiyah died, Hassan's brother, Hussaine refused to pledge allegiance to Muawiyah's son, Yazid who took over from his father and this led to another battle. Yazid's army massacred Hussein's small forces on the 10th of Muharram 680 CE. This day is venerated by Shia as the day which marked the irreversible split of the Sunni and Shia.

It was simply put this way, ‘’the supporters of Ali's family became the Shia, while the followers of Uthman's family along with Muslims who didn't particularly care about who was in charge became the Sunni’’.

Hussaine’s martyrdom became a central tenet to those who believed that Ali should have succeeded the prophet. (It is mourned every year during the month of Muharram.)

For the purpose of emphasis, i want to agree with those who maintained that the Sunni and Shia divide has nothing to do with religious disagreement or ideology. The conflict, to my understanding is simply about politics and leadership. Every other ideological division they manufactured, were after thought, to keep the divide permanent.

While Sunnis regarded all 4 successors of Prophet Muhammed, including Ali as rightly guided caliph, Shia on the other hand only regard Ali as the true successor, describing the 3 others as usurpers. Because of this perception, shia often use all sorts of defamatory languages against the 3 other Caliphs, thereby causing animosity with Sunni.

Modern Conflicts

According to a report from State University of New York, One hundred years ago, around the time of World War 1, the Middle East was carved up in a Franco-British pact called the Sykes-Picot Agreement. But the Europeans had little interest in understanding the religious and ethnic intricacies of the Middle East when they divided up the region. Still, these arbitrary borders became the blueprint for today's maps.

The report stated that, Shiites were divided primarily among Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, with Alawites (an off-shoot of Shia Islam) in Syria. This area has come to be known as the Shia crescent.

Additionally, Sunni Muslims make up the bulk of the population of other countries in the region, with pockets of Shiites scattered among them.

As you might expect, problems arise in countries where both sects are vying for power, or one feels oppressed. In Syria, for example, a Sunni majority has been ruled for the last 45 years by a Shia Alawite minority the report says, while In Iraq, a Sunni minority ruled over the Shiite majority for decades.

After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein -- a Sunni -- was overthrown, and a Shiite government took over. That government was reported to be marginalizing Sunnis, and some of those disenfranchised Sunnis have gone on to form the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS. The bitter resentments between the Shiite-led government and Sunni communities have contributed to victories by the Islamic State.

To understand the conflict better, have this at the back of your mind: Al Qaeda and ISIS are Sunni Muslim groups, Hezbollah is Shiite.

Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussain are Sunni. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is Shia. And the Iranian mullahs are Shiites as well, which helps explain why Iran has gotten involved in the conflict in Syria.

Global politics and US influence in the Conflict
Traditionally, it is on record that U.S.'s strongest allies in the Middle East have been Sunni powers, like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

But now the U.S. is pursuing a nuclear deal with Shiite Iran, and is working alongside Shiites in Iraq to try to destroy ISIS. However, U.S is still supporting Saudi Arabia, which is currently bombing Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen.

While a survey carried out among Sunni states showed that 40% of them said they don’t believe Shia should be regarded as Muslims, it is important to remember that the majority of ordinary Sunnis and Shiites do not hate each other, and both groups share the same core tenets of Islam. In a sense, it's similar to the differences between Catholics and the Protestants.

What role has sectarianism played in recent crises?

More than 85- 90 percent of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are Sunni. The Saudi royal family, which practices an austere and conservative strand of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, controls Islam’s holiest cities of Mecca and Medina. Karbala, Kufa and Najaf in Iraq are revered shrines for the Shiites.

In countries which have been governed by Sunnis, Shia tend to make up the poorest sections of society. They often see themselves as victims of discrimination and oppression. Sunni extremists frequently denounce Shia as heretics who should be killed.

The Iranian revolution of 1979 launched a radical Shia Islamist agenda that was perceived as a challenge to conservative Sunni regimes, particularly in the Gulf.

Tehran's policy of supporting Shia militias and parties beyond its borders was matched by Sunni-ruled Gulf states, which strengthened their links to Sunni governments and movements elsewhere. This is what has been somehow been transported to Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Nigeria must therefore be careful. We must apply some wisdom in how we handle this small issue, suddenly becoming too sophisticated for our leaders to contain.

Abdulrazaq Hamzat writes from Abuja, Nigeria. Discus4now@gmail.com

https://www.legit.ng/1251690-opinion-sunni-vs-shiites-divide-politics-religion-by-abdulrazaq-hamzat.html

More

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Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP), an independent Non Governmental Organisation for professional peace advocacy, research and Conflict Transformation has digged out some beautiful and strange verses from the holy books.

FPP, which recently presented it's Nigeria Peace Index at the Caux Forum in Switzerland is on a quest to create unite the people, irrespective of their religion.

Have you ever read these verses before?

Do you understand it?

Let's hear your views

Where can I buy it

Hum

Hun

Celestial777:
I will be going to my father's house today and I will take pictures of the books written on this topic by early Christians that appreciate Ifa
Bro I will only share the cover pages with you but i I will never details
I want you to remain ignoramus of course I know you can never in this life come across the books...lol

Share knowledge to make Africa grow. The book will not help anybody if it remains in your shelf

They do not worship orisa. Orisa can't be worship. Ori sa. Maker, choose him. How can who the maker choose be served? Only the maker, eledumare is to be served

Alright

IFA'S TAKE ON IDOL WORSHIPING
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

Ao le be igi ni igbo
We can't cut a tree from the forest

Ko wa di olowo eni
And it becomes our commander

Orere ko le ni iyi to eni to gbe
A craft can't be more prestigious than the crafter

Oni oju
It has eyes

Ko le ri iran
But it can't see

Oni ese
It has legs

Ko le sare
But can't run

Ifa loba
Ifa is the overseer

Orisa losin
The gifted are the messenger

Olodumare ni kan lo to gbekele
Only the creator can be relied upon

Ori ni a ba ma bo
We should rather worship the maker

A ba fi Orisa sile
And leave the gifted people

Ni ijo Ti ori ngbeni
While the creator is aiding us

Nibo ni Orisa wa
Where are the gifted one's?

Can someone please translate the Yoruba into a more appropriate and acceptable English language?

Pls help push this post to the front page

Celestial777:
Share ko. Share ni
Wetin be my own if you remain ignorant
See I read Ifa corpus book by Rev Fagbola
Written in 1825
You can look it up
Better still I fit help you send the cover page
...i mean the pics so you will know I know wbay I am saying

Don't be harsh on people asking you question. You may die tomorrow and take it with you.

Message to all Muslims
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

"And argue not with the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as do wrong; and say:

We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and revealed unto you;

our God and your God is One, and unto Him we surrender." Q29:46

Dear brothers and sisters

If our God and their God is One as captured in the Quran, why the divide and rivalry ?

Hear the Quran again:

"Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." Q.2:62

Peace is the only religion of God

Happy Friday
Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
12th July, 2019