Nigeria: Atheism VS Extremism By Aliyu Smith Almusawi

Nigeria: Atheism VS Extremism By Aliyu Smith Almusawi

By Aliyu Smith Almusawi

Now that more and more people are defecting to atheism without fear of any consequence, thanks to Mubarak Bala, the first Hausa Muslim to debunk religion as a myth. They don’t need to impress you with grammar, though many of them are aggressively educated, they often post their opinions in Hausa, a language spoken even by the educated northerners, so they reach more people than you think.

The fact that Sunni are busy cursing Shiites or that the moderate Muslims dubbed as Boko Aqeeda are busy taking on Datti Assalafy and his ilk, the atheists have on other hand focused on how they can sow a seed of doubt in the minds of people by challenging any sensitive areas that make people tied to religion, thank to Muslims who are so preoccupied with internal squabble that they never care to take on the growing number of atheists who now walk freely us without any fear, enjoying their rights as citizens.

It is more surprising that many of them know Islam better than many Muslims who hide under the religion to spread visceral hatred and violence against people who differ with their ideas.

I don’t have problems with these people because they are at least peaceful despite abusing people’s sacred deities and they should be allowed to excercise their rights as citizens. This is how we can grow as a tolerant society.

My only problem is with such a group of people in the society who think they have the monopoly of Islam which is impossible in the current political order. So, let everybody practice his faith the way he sees it so long as he is not hostile to anyone. But it is wrong to assume your version of religion is the perfect one and nobody deserves to be in peace unless he panders to your line of faith.

Aliyu Smith Almusawi is a social commentator lives in Nigeria