Nigerian Muslims and other peace-loving individuals have supported the call by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, calling for the arrest of the extremist Pastor Akintaro Joshua, who blasphemed Allah and His Prophet, Muhammad, SAW.
They are asking the law enforcement agents to immediately apprehend and bring the pastor to book.
The netizens who are reacting to the MURIC press release of Saturday, May 21, noted that failure of the government to do the needful will not only encourage troublemakers to insult the symbols of Islam but may push the Southwest Muslims, who have been hitherto living in peace with their non-Muslim neighbours, to take laws into their hands.
This deliberate provocative audio of Pastor Joshua was coming at a time when normalcy just returned to Sokoto where a school girl, Deborah Samuel was killed by mob over an alleged similar offence.
Meanwhile, the Muslim community in the Southwest has called on the state government and security agencies to quickly arrest the pastor, who according to many, “has crossed the Islamic redlines”.
Today, the Coordinator of the MURIC in Osun State, Dr. AbdulAzeez Adekomoya, said the man rained insults on Allah (The Supreme Creator), Islam, the Qur’an, and The Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (SAW), an effrontery far more dangerous than one could imagine and which no sane Muslim can stomach.
Nonetheless, Dr. Adekomoya called for calm from the Muslims in Osun State, urging the Police Command to quickly wade in, “lest we witness another mayhem and loss of lives in the Southwest”, he said.
Many Muslims on social media have similarly lent support to MURIC’s call for the police to arrest and charge Pastor Joshua, who went further to dare the Muslims by releasing his phone numbers online.
Muslims react ….
Najib Ibrahim said,
Failure to do the needful by the security agencies will eventually encourage more blasphemers. And of course, jungle justice will continue across the country. We loudly call on the government agencies to arrest him and enforce the law on him, otherwise the consequences will be out of control.
“Subhanallah! I can’t even read it (the blashemous statement) finished. Let us respect one another’s religion, please, for us to live in peace,” he noted.
According to Ashiru Muhammad Siriddawa;
Government should take necessary actions on this so-called pastor. They’re the ones who mislead their people from religion to other things.
To Agboola Afeez, “Government should do the needful now, before the action is taken up, what this guy said is tantamount to death already, maybe he wanted to cause problems…Akin ta iro, could never be a real Christian other than a terrorist and a blasphemer.
-Call for jungle justice
Some netizens who called for jungle justice should government fail to apprehend the suspects were quickly tackled by their fellow Muslims, insisting that jungle justice isn’t allowed in Islam and should not be encouraged by anyone.
Argument started when one Abu Rayan Ibn Abdulrazaq said,
If the government refused to do the needful, we will come for him, to make sure he pay in full for his crime.
Others replied him;
Abdul Hakeem Uthman said,
Abu Rayan Ibn Abdulrazaq we intellectuals who follow the pristine Islam, will follow and address the issue through due process.
Ismail Ibrahim said,
Abu Rayan Ibn Abdulrazaq, take it easy my brother. Islam is a religion of peace let’s exhibit it to the world.
Non-Muslims wade-in …
In series of comments monitored by Muslim News, some non-Muslims also blasted the Pastor, calling for his arrest.
Filani Timilehin Stephen said,
“The Pastor need to be arrested, Christianity is a religion of peace. He should not incite people in the name of my region, abeg (please).
Another non-Muslim, Ola Jide suggested the immediate arrest and questioning of the pastor, adding that,
“the Southwest Muslims are so tolerance (sic) that some Christians will come inside Muslim house to preace, asking them to accept Jesus as their Lord and personal saviour, without being harmed.
“Most of public buses in Lagos have been turned to churches. They will be disturbing and say they are preaching even inside the market but Muslim are still endure there disturbances. We want Osun State government to do the needful on this matter before it escalates.”
Read more reactions HERE
