By KEMI KASUMU
During the week, precisely on Tuesday 30 November, 2021, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), once again, added its voice to the widespread condemnations of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over its attempted rubbishing of the United States of America for doing what it saw was right and correct, removing Nigeria from religion violations blacklist.
It will be recalled the CAN’s ‘unpopular’ rejection of the delisting of Nigeria by the US as one of the ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ on the issue of religious freedom. MURIC told the apex christian body in Nigeria that it cannot fool the United States of America.
CAN has been condemned, not only by Muslims but also more conspicuously, by fellow Christians, who believe that the Pastor Samson Ayokunle-led association is projecting the Christendom in Nigeria both in bad light and as antagonistic faith against its real being.
The Islamic rights group’s comment on the development came via a statement by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER.
It said, “The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) last week rejected the delisting of Nigeria by the United States as one of the ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ on the issue of religious freedom. In short, CAN wanted Nigeria to remain among countries of particular concern to the US.
“We are astounded by the sadistic logic employed by CAN on this issue. CAN has simply forgotten what happened to those countries that had been of ‘particular concern’ to the US. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan were countries of ‘particular concern’ to the US. It is only CAN that does not know what happened to those countries. Perhaps they are now the El-Dorado and consequently the envy of the rest of the world. That is what CAN wants for Nigeria.
“If you continue to demarket your country and a foreign power invades it on account of your false propaganda and crocodile tears, your country may end up like libya where the killing of its leader without providing an alternative placed the citizens between Schilla and Charibdis, or like Afghanistan where many citizens ended up dropping from the skies, or like Syria where so called activists found themselves between the devil and the deep blue sea or like Iraq where nobody wants its citizens as they are currently trapped between Poland and Belarus in freezing weather.
“CAN said it was at a loss on the data used by the US government to delist Nigeria. This is as ridiculous as it is absurd. What temerity! So CAN expects the White House to take orders from a Christian cleric who is living comfortably in Sokoto, just a few meters from the Sultan’s palace and has never been disturbed there?” It said.
MURIC continued, “Well, if CAN is at a loss regarding the data used to delist Nigeria, is it also unaware of the statistics used to enlist the country among ‘Countries of Particular Concern’? Perhaps a request to access the file marked ‘US Congress Address’ in the computer system of the Sokoto cleric may throw light on the matter.
“It simply exposes our neighbour’s propensity for myopic dispensation when it comes to international politics. How can CAN assume that it is just enough to dispatch its enfant terrible and undisputed numero uno advocatus diaboli with a bundle of economies of truth to the US Congress for the latter to dispatch a thousand tucano fighters to bring down Islamdom in Nigeria? It is very clear that the US has outsmarted CAN.
“It is the height of deceit on the part of CAN to claim that ‘the US government did not contact us’ when they were listing Nigeria among the countries of ‘Particular Concern’ on religious freedom. Who took fake news of the killing of Christians alone to the US Congress? Or is CAN disowning the Sokoto cleric?
“CAN is a clever juggler. CAN can juggle several bottles at a time without any of them falling and breaking to pieces. CAN is adept at knocking the heads of the people in North Central with those of the core North. CAN can make the South East hot for Northerners while Muslims in the South West are turned outcasts in their own land pari passu. CAN has mastered the art of hitting and being the one that cries loud. CAN feels no qualms with deception. It is just part of proselytization. Whether fair or foul, any means is applicable.
“Worse still, any of CAN’s victims that dares to cry after being hit is labelled a terrorist, a fundamentalist and a member cum receiver of funds from ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram put together. Before anybody can say Jack Robinson, CAN calls on the security agencies to investigate the crier. Such has been the lot of MURIC in the hands of the agents of CAN in this country.
“It has been revealed that Boko Haram killed thirty seven thousand, five hundred (37,500) persons from 2015 to 2018. Of this figure, thirty two thousand (32,000) were Muslims while five thousand, five hundred (5,500) were Christians. This means that 85% of those killed were Muslims. Mosques have been bombed or burned. Imams, Shaykhs and emirs have been abducted and killed. But CAN still wants to deceive the world by claiming that it is Christians alone who are being killed in Nigeria.
“Our message to CAN is this, ‘Step up your diabolical propaganda, full of lies and deceit, as much as you can. Just remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.’
“You can fool Nigerians. They are gullible. The more they look, the less they see. This is a nation where abracadabra reigns. Nigerians take acrobatic religiousity for true piety. They take their hate preachers for their gospellers, their villains for their heroes, their thieves for their candidates and their heroes for their tyrants. But the US is a horse of another colour. Can CAN hear this? Your game is up. You can’t fool the United States.”
