Says allotted time for response inadequate
+ why we organised the debate – Kano State government
It’s no longer news that the Kano State government staged the much awaited and most anticipated debate between controversial Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara and Coalition of Ulamah. What is rather news is how spectacularly, he failed to defend his bogus blasphemy claims despite the opportunity.
Kabara, a factional leader of the Qadiriyya Islamic sect in Kano, has been accused of disrespecting and attacking the personality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his companions and some notable Islamic scholars in his preaching, lectures and written documents.
He, however, denied the allegations, thereby challenging the scholars to a public debate where he would defend with evidence his claims and address the contentious topics, a call that was later agreed upon by the Council of Ulamah and the state government led by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
The debate, which held on Saturday, July 10, 2021, at the Shari’ah Commission, Kano was organised by the state government, under the Chairmanship of Prof. Salisu Shehu, Director, Centre for Islamic Civilization and Inter-faith Dialogue, Bayero University, Kano.
Muslim New findings revealed that the objective of the dialogue was to give Sheikh Abduljabbar an opportunity to defend and prove his contentious viewpoints, but he however threw away the opportunity.
Those present at the debate said he was quoting weak, wrongly translated and misinterpreted hadith (sayings of the Prophet {SAW}) as defense. The claim was also confirmed in a communique issued at the end of the dialogue.
It was jointly drafted and signed by Dr. Mu’azzam Maibushira, Bayero University, Kano; Yahaya Umar Director, Archives and Publications, Council Affairs Directorate, Government House, Kano; and Nazeer Tanko Kyaure, Secretary, Ministry of Information, Kano.
“A total of six question-and-answer sessions were held with equal allocation of time to both sides. The main question by the representatives of the Ulamah revolved around the use of vulgar, inappropriate and defamatory language which Abduljabbar Nasir Kabara was accused of in his teachings, sermons and preaching. Audio recordings were played quoting him employing those wordings after which he was asked to respond by way of showing where he sourced them from authentic books.”
The cleric, however, complained that the time alloted him for response was inadequate, while avoiding questions raised to introduce unrelated issues.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Government had earlier served both parties the audio recordings that were to be the focal points of the questions before the date of the dialogue and they were played to the hearing of all at the venue.
The communique also explained that each question was allotted 5 minutes at first instance, 10 minutes for explanation and 10 minutes for response and 5 minutes each for conclusion in every round of the six sessions, stressing that the dialogue was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.
Muslim News gathered that none of the representatives of the Coalition of the Ulamah was satisfied with each of the response by Abduljabbar Nasir Kabara.
In his verdict, chairman of the session, Prof. Shehu said it is clearly established that the several questions raised in the six rounds of the dialogue by the Coalition of the Ulamah to Abdulljabbar Nasir Kabara were not satisfactorily answered.
“Instead, he mixed up the issues, going off track and introducing irrelevant topics,” he noted.
The chairman therefore implored the state government to take the next necessary line of action in order to ensure peace, law and order in the state just as he and the presenters commended the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR, for accepting to conduct the dialogue with a view to giving a fair hearing to both Abduljabbar Nasir Kabara and the Ulamah.
Kano Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Tahar (aka Baba Impossible) called on both parties to shun any inflammatory comments capable of upsetting the fragile peace in the state.
