Call for Release of Sheikh Ibrameem az-Zakzaky

Iran’s English language daily Kayhan International in its viewpoint column on Monday, October 9 said: “It is now almost two years since the unmanly massacre of Shi’a Muslim citizens in Zaria by the Nigerian army and the kidnapping of Sheikh Ibraheem az-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), whose unconstitutional detention despite the explicit orders for his release by the Federal Court of Nigeria, has put the Nigerian government in an embarrassing position.”

A couple of days ago, IMN formally asked President Mohammadu Buhari, who until now has evaded direct references to the Zaria massacre of 15^th December 2015 and the abduction of Sheikh az-Zakzaky, to explain why the latter is being held indefinitely against the court’s verdict, and why the government has suddenly called the esteemed leader of Nigeria’s 10-million plus Shi’a Muslims a ‘security risk’ in contrast to its hitherto position of providing him “protective custody”.

Kayhan said: It is obvious the Nigerian president will not respond to the peaceful and democratic demands of a large section of Nigerians, in view of his policy to serve vested US interests in this large West African nation at the expense of its citizens.  

It pointed out that since his two principal backers, Saudi Arabia and Israel, make up the unholy triangle with the US to silence the voices of freedom of expression, respect for birthrights, and professing of Islamic beliefs based on the Prophet’s genuine legacy of reason and rationality, he is likely to prolong the imprisonment of Sheikh az-Zakzaky.

According to the Iranian daily, as head of a highly corrupt administration of an oil-flooded but impoverished country, Buhari needs riyals from Riyadh, technology from Tel Aviv, and warmth from Washington which keeps mineral-rich Nigeria tight in its tentacles that rules out the enlightenment as well as the material and spiritual progress of the Nigerian people.

In view of these facts, Kayhan commented that while the people of Nigeria, whether Muslim or Christian continue to suffer, Buhari, a former military general with a shady record of coup in the past and human rights’ violations, is trying hard to project himself as an elected civilian leader, at least in international circles, as was evident by his speech last September at the UN General Assembly Session in New York that was laced with lies and led the audience to wink at each other.      

It said: From the World Body’s podium, he made a clumsy attempt to play the role of defender of the persecuted Rohinyga Muslims of Myanmar while he is determined to deny birthrights to Nigeria’s Shi’a Muslims, and if possible to depopulate them.

In other words, Buhari used the UN pulpit to preach what he doesn’t practice, when all he needs is to awaken his sleeping conscience to restore the rights of people whose fate is literally in his hands.

It means his expression of empathy for the Muslim minority of Myanmar was an exercise in hypocrisy, in view of the fact, his military had massacred within a few hours in Zaria over a thousand unarmed men, women, and children, coupled with arson, looting, rape hate speeches, genital mutilation with the aim of limiting reproduction, wrongful detention and enforced disappearances of almost a thousand other Shi’a Muslims, whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

In Nigeria, the “Free Zakzaky Campaign Committee” made it clear in its statement addressed to Buhari that the IMN activities are not prone to violence as alleged, but continue to be peaceful, in stark contrast to the terrorism of the Boko Haram takfiris, whom the Nigerian government tolerates in spite of their crimes against Islam and the nation.

Kayhan offered a word of advice to the Nigerian government and its president, hoping the Nigerian diplomatic mission will convey to administration in Abuja.

It noted: The Ashura procession held in various towns and cities of Nigeria on Sunday October 2 in commemoration of the tragic martyrdom anniversary of Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), whose movement against injustice has continued to inspire the conscientious throughout history all over the globe, was indeed a unique window of opportunity to show the world that the Shi’a Muslims of Nigeria are a nonviolent and peaceful community. They should be allowed to exercise their rights to practice their faith, and the sooner their leader, Sheikh az-Zakzaky is released, the better for the whole Nigerian nation.

Meanwhile, reports from Nigeria say Ibrahim Musa, IMN spokesman, has said in a statement: “Notwithstanding the doubts of the fairness, independence and impartiality of the presidential panel, the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky has decided that a memo be sent to the presidential panel after a rare meeting with the head of the legal team, Barr Femi Falana last week,”

He disclosed: “It was only the second time the Sheikh was allowed to meet with the legal team in 22 months of illegal detention.

Musa added: “As the largest single group of victims of Nigerian military’s most brutal and flagrant abuses of human rights in the country, the Islamic movement has all it takes to nail the planners and executors of the mass killing of our members in July 2014 and the more audacious Zaria genocide of December 2015.

He said: “The crimes of the military against the Islamic movement were not mere human rights abuses but indeed crimes against humanity, for which the International Criminal Court at The Hague has since opened a preliminary investigation. It remains to be seen whether the present presidential panel is sufficiently independent to do a thorough job.”

AS/MG