The Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has said the formation of Islamic organisations by Muslims is not aimed at antagonism but as a platform to propagate and deepen the understanding of the religion.
Oloyede spoke Sunday during the 100-year anniversary lecture of the Jama-at-ul Islamiyya of Nigeria with the theme “Commemorating the Past, Inspiring the Future: A Case Study of the Jama’at in the Last Century”.
He said forming of Islamic organisations became a necessity to check the influence of Western civilization brought by the missionaries, adding that the aim was not for Muslims to fight one another.
He said as far back as 1914 and 1924, several Islamic organisations were formed to check what he called imperialism by the colonialists.
- Buhari took Nigeria 50 yrs backwards, says Fayose
- Nigerians stuck with Tinubu’s bad policies for 4 years – SDP Presidential candidate
“Muslims worldwide saw that the imperial government would wipe them off and they came up with the idea of setting up one group or the other to promote the beauty of Islam and be part of the global movement,” he said.
Oloyede, who is also the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), recalled that the founding fathers of Jama-at-ul Islam were conversant with contemporary global issues despite their level of education.
According to him, their concern was to safeguard the future of Islam and Muslims, especially the younger ones.
He said they should learn to understand the language of the present generation of Muslim children which he referred to as Gen Z to eradicate moral decadence in the society.
