Taking this into account, legit fact-checked some of the comments made on the page of one of the most prominent Igbo Muslims on X – Ugwu.
“Biafra will chase every single one of you out to go pray in Kaduna. What is this? Islam is banned in Biafra land.”
The practice of Islam has been speculated forbidden among the Indigenous People of Biafra.
Biafra is predominantly Christian, with a strong Roman Catholic presence within the Igbo-dominated southeast region of Nigeria,
This ban reflects the complex historical, cultural, and social dynamics unique to the area, where various religious beliefs intersect and often clash.. …CONTINUE READING
This ban reflects the complex historical, cultural, and social dynamics unique to the area, where various religious beliefs intersect and often clash.
The restrictions not only affect the ability of Muslims to practice their faith openly but also highlight the broader tensions surrounding religious identity in this region.
Fact-checking anti-Muslim rhetoric by Biafra campaigners
Anti-Muslim rhetoric perpetuates hate and marginalisation within public discourse. Permitting this threatens democratic values and inclusivity.
Taking this into account, legit fact-checked some of the comments made on the page of one of the most prominent Igbo Muslims on X – Ugwu.
‘Islam is banned in Biafraland. ’ A verified account, @TochiNna, posted thus on April 11, 2024: “Biafra will chase every single one of you out to go pray in Kaduna. What is this? Islam is banned in Biafra land.”
Similarly, @AfunwaEkedon wrote on January 6, 2024: “As soon as #Biafra is declared you will join your people in the North. Islam is not welcome in Biafra land.”
Also, @Abangwu4 said: “It is a taboo for an Igbo to be a Muslim, it is very very odd.”
Legit.ng asked Uche Okafor-Mefor, former right-hand man to Kanu, the IPOB leader, if that is true. Mefor knows the Biafra secessionist movement too well.
The erstwhile IPOB deputy leader’s response is as follows:
“The people of Biafra (south-east, Igbo-Biafra) are a people of faith with different religious and spiritual persuasions. The Biafra of our dream is an egalitarian, virile, multi-faith society underpinned by democratic and human rights ethos. There must be religious freedom with strong institutions endowed with full enforcement powers and implementation mechanisms. We do not subscribe to a theocratic society. We favour a secular society where everyone is equal before the law.
“I have had people talking about Biafra being a Jewish society, that on its own is an autocratic, authoritarian, and extremist view—a hallucination too many and which we must consistently frown at.
“We subscribe to Biafra, where social justice, human rights, and fundamental freedoms are sacrosanct and not criminality.”
Non-Muslims to be subjected to Sharia?
@Abangwu4 insinuated that Sharia (Islamic law) would be instituted as a main body of civil and criminal law in the five southeast states.
He commented: “Imagine introducing Sharia into Biafra land to replace our traditional and cultural Omenala and Odinala… You too imagine it, it is not possible and won’t be allowed. In the United States of Biafra, Islam is not an official religion recognised by the Biafran Government.”
But, in a correspondence with Legit.ng, Sheikh Dr Idris Oni, the acting head of the Islamic Studies department, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria, said that is not the case.
The religious scholar spoke about the applicability of Shariah rulings.
He clarified: “Even in an Islamic state where the Sharia could be in full practice, Christians and Jews are free to use the laws of their own religion established in their scriptures, not to now mention a secular society. They (non-Muslims) are largely not to be subjected to Islamic law. The rights of one side must not infringe on the rights of the other party- that is what Islam says.
“Every member of the society enjoys full rights to life, faith, association, expression and so on.”
Are Muslims non-existent in ‘Biafraland’?
@Nedeua claimed: “There are no Muslims in Biafra land. Anybody claiming to be Muslim is a fraud that wants to dupe the Muslim community.”
This claim is false, as Nigeria is home to about 13,500 indigenous Igbo Muslims.
In the course of the report, this journalist spoke to several Igbo Muslim devouts. In fact, the incumbent chief imam of the country’s national mosque in Abuja, Sheikh Iliyasu Usman, is Igbo, from Enugu state.
