[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
A northern Islamic cleric, Sheik Bin Al-Qasim Asaduls, has called on Muslims across Nigeria to rise against what he described as the alleged "selective and biased" reporting of Amnesty International.
True, but not the way the honoured sheik meant. In a video posted on his official Facebook page, the cleric accused the international human rights organisation of deliberately ignoring the killings of Muslims while amplifying incidents involving Christians.
Sheikh Al-Qasim alleged that Amnesty International has never shown genuine concern for the plight of Muslims in regions such as Maiduguri, Sokoto, or Zamfara, despite persistent insecurity and violence affecting those areas.
"Amnesty claims to defend human rights, but many of us believe it is driven by a Western agenda. They remain silent when Muslims are killed but rush to release statements whenever Muslims react to provocation or defend their Prophet," Al-Qasim said in the video.
The cleric’s remarks come in the wake of a recent Amnesty International report that highlighted human rights abuses under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Al-Qasim, however, suggested that the organisation is not interested in true justice but rather in stirring religious and political instability in Muslim communities.
“Amnesty International, under the guise of justice, is inciting conflict and trying to destabilise the North,” he said.
The North needs absolutely no help in that regard. He further urged Nigerian Muslims to remain vigilant and resist what he termed foreign attempts to undermine their religion and their region.
However, Amnesty International’s report stated that within two years, 10,000 people had been killed due to terrorism.
According to their figures, 7000 of the victims were from Benue State, 2,600 from Plateau State, and 691 from Sokoto, Zamfara, and other Northern regions.
Al-Qasim said, "What does this imply? It appears they want to create a false narrative that only Christians are being killed, since Benue and Plateau are predominantly Christian states. They released this report to push their agenda.
He said, "Take for example a recent attack in a Christian community in Plateau State where over 100 people were gruesomely murdered.
Amnesty International publicised it widely. What are they trying to achieve? They want people to react emotionally and turn the issue into a religious crisis.
"We know that religious conflict is one of the fastest ways to destroy a nation’s stability and economy. So, think carefully: does this report by Amnesty International truly reflect the whole picture?
Not even close — it’s actually much worse than Amnesty International reports. "I swear by God, out of the 10,000 people they claim were killed, I can tell you that 9,000 of them were Muslims. Every day, people are dying in Northern Nigeria—mostly Muslims. In Borno State alone, many of the victims are Muslims," Al-Qasim said.
According to him, "Amnesty International claims 7,000 were killed in Benue. But if I ask you which states in Nigeria are facing the worst insecurity, you will mention Zamfara, then Maiduguri, followed by Katsina and Sokoto. These are the states where people are being killed the most.
Moslems killed by Moslems, Christians killed by Moslems, both are true. Boko Haram ISWAP, Fulani herders, Moslem village lad on a tear, greedy neoghbours… so many different reasons for NigerianMoslems to pick up weapons to create corpses. Previously, SaharaReporters reported that a coordinated propaganda campaign had been launched against Amnesty International (AI) following the release of its recent report detailing the killings in Nigeria’s Plateau and Benue states, SaharaReporters has learnt. Sources had told SaharaReporters that this is part of a broader propaganda campaign targeting the international human rights organisation.
Since the release of its report last week detailing unchecked killings in Plateau and Benue states, there has been a coordinated effort, said to be led by government officials, featuring influencers like Dan Bello, Arewa Mufarka, Sharfaddeen Bature and others who have launched an aggressive propaganda offensive against Amnesty International.
Nastura Ashir Sharif, a northern Nigerian man who once benefitted from Amnesty International’s support after his arrest and detention for speaking out, is now involved in a campaign against the organisation. Sharif had been detained for several days following a peaceful protest in Katsina State, where he voiced concerns about critical issues affecting citizens, including the wave of student kidnappings in the north-western states. After his arrest, he was transferred to Abuja and held in detention.
Once a beneficiary of Amnesty’s advocacy, Sharif has since become a vocal critic, leading what appears to be a wider effort to discredit the international human rights group.
Amnesty International’s recent report detailing rising violence and mass killings in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region has sparked backlash from various political and community leaders, especially in northern Nigeria.Nigerian cultural tours
Back in 2020, Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Sharif, who had been detained for defending the right to life and demanding an end to worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria. At the time, Amnesty International stated that Sharif was simply urging the authorities to fulfill their responsibilities, and his arrest was viewed as an attempt to intimidate and silence peaceful advocates for freedom of assembly and expression.
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... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
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...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
