The POLITICIAN 1000

BY PAUL OKADE Jr
The terrorist attack on a Catholic Church on Christmas
day which claimed scores of innocent lives was
indeed the proverbial “straw” that broke the Camel’s
back. It wasn’t the first attack of this malicious sect
against Nigerians of all ethnic and socio-economic
divides but it was the first time that they identified and
singled out a place of worship on one of the most sacred
religious days of the Christian faith “Christmas”,
a day when the birth of the son of God, Jesus Christ of
Nazareth is celebrated.
I must state at this junction that the majority of
the Muslims in Nigeria are peaceful, law abiding and
religiously tolerant people and they do not advocate
nor endorse the radical extremism of the sect that has
now come to be known as “Boko Haram”, which in
English translation simply means anti-western education/teaching.
This sect claims to be against what they
believe is the secularisation of the Northern part of
the country, and have sadly embraced violence as a
means of expressing and furthering their cause.
Although there is no historical evidence that authenticates
the actual birth date of Jesus Christ, there
is however overwhelming evidence of the existence of
such a personality. Both the Christian Bible and the
Muslim Quran recognise the existence of Jesus but
differ in their beliefs about his divinity. According to
the Christians, Jesus Christ is the Son Of God but not
in the sense that God gave birth to him in the delivery
room the way a pregnant woman delivers a baby, but
in relation to his position and heavenly ranking. The
Christian belief of a triune God i:e one God expressed
in three persons (God the Father, God the Son (Jesus
Christ) and God the Holy Spirit) is at the centre of
their faith.
The Muslims on the other hand believe that Jesus
Christ was simply a messenger/Prophet of God and
not divine as the Christians believe. Both Muslims
and Christians however do believe that Jesus Christ is
coming back again and that He will judge the World.
As far as I’m concerned, religion isn’t a good enough
reason to murder innocent lives, people who were created
by the same God you claimed to be acting for. It
makes no sense whatsoever and such acts can definitely
not go unpunished.
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with any group or
sect deciding to opt out of the so-called “white man’s”
educational system in order to pursue their own form
of knowledge and intellectual capacity development.
The freedom to choose is indeed one of the hallmarks
of a democratic environment. People are free to worship
whichever God they choose, train their children
in the manner that suits their religious/ideological dispositions,
as long as it does not infringe on the lives,
liberties, freedoms and personal safety of others.
When Boko Haram decided to adopt murder and
violence as a political strategy, they lost all credibility
as a legitimate democratic opposition and became
nothing more than thugs and cold blooded murderers.
They have not only turned the government of Nigeria
against them, but the whole nation and the World at
large.
The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), was
a man of peace and reconciliation. He was neither
a suicide bomber, nor an advocate of one so I don’t
know where these deceived murderers are getting
their inspiration from.