Written by Sulaiman Fasasi | Jun 29, 2019 | Original article in the Independent Newspaper
Abeokuta – An Islamic cleric, Dr Afees Oladimeji Musa, has distanced the religion of Islam from the spate of terrorism across the world, advocating the real knowledge as a panacea to the unrest nationwide.
Dr Musa, who is the Director of Insight Institute for Islamic and Technical Studies, said this over the weekend during the maiden convocation of the Institute in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The Director, while addressing the gathering lamented that anytime Islamic education is mentioned, what comes to people’s minds is terrorism, saying what Islam teaches is peace even with non-Muslims.
According to him, whoever understands Islam will never engage in any action that will endanger the lives of other people regardless of their religious affiliation.
He said, “To be a religious person, you have to be conversant with Islamic studies, what we try to do is to focus on Arabic and other technical knowledge which can aide the practice of Islam and to help them in what they want to do.
“Islam is a religion of peace and what Islam teaches is peace, peaceful engagement with non-Muslims, peaceful coexistence with non-Muslims, whoever understands Islam will never engage in such activity that could endanger the life of the people, whoever understands Islam will find it easy to get along with people regardless of their religious conviction.
“I will encourage people to learn more about Islam, the more you know of Islam, the more you will realise that there’s nothing that can outdo the practice of this religion.”
Amongst over 40 graduands at the convocation was a 63-year-old retired Permanent Secretary, AbdulFatah Opebiyi, who said he was in the institute to further his knowledge of the religion.
Opebiyi who was honoured as the most disciplined student of the Institute encouraged people to seek more knowledge about their religion in other to kill ignorance in the community.
Opebiyi who retired about three years ago at the Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy said he was also at the Open University studying Islamic Studies as a way of killing ignorance about the religion.
He said, “One thing with us in this country is that most of the things we go into, we know little about.
“In the same case, I find myself as the Chief Imam of Ibara Housing Estate Mosque with little knowledge about the religion and I believe its incumbent upon me to learn about the religion so that I can practice very well.
“I have a Masters but not in Islamic Studies. If you don’t know, I am also a 400-level student of Islamic Studies in Open University in other to learn the religion fully so that I will not be practising in ignorance like what many of our people do and mislead our people.”
Speaking about the convocation, the Principal of the Institute, Taofik Shittu hinted that the over 40 graduands were of four levels of Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Diploma.
On terrorism, he also said, “Islam is a religion of peace and the knowledge is that of peace, nobody will understand the religion and be a member of Boko Haram, it is against the religion to kill, all that’s happening has no affinity with Islam.”
