Muslim commuters are being daily harassed by new zealot preachers bent on evangelizing and bringing home some harvest fish for their different churches. It may be that these competing evangelists serve a need of some people on the move to find spirituality, but the problems they create mostly for Muslims beg for some urgent attention from the political establishment, well-meaning and peace-loving Nigerians. These preachers, some of them freelancing and going as far as disparaging Islam, make life unbearable for most Muslims on public buses with their 'songs and praises' sessions and there seem to be no way of escaping their all-pervasive reach now as they have gone even unto to the Lagos State government's BRT.

Why is a company like the BRT reluctant to enforce the public nuisance aspects of our national laws to maintain law and order for the benefits of all its customers? Should we wait until a major incident or accident occur due to the maniac noise and frenzied praise-singing and worshiping of both the preachers and their co-opted congregations. The BRT especially and other bus companies that allow these transgressions on their buses are abandoning the duty they owe to every customer of their service, to guarantee peaceful and healthy conveyance. And when you gently talk to these zealots that their methods invade into your privacy, that you really wish to enjoy a quiet ride home from a hard day at work, that their noise and excitement deprive the driver full attention and concentration that anyone who drives on Lagos roads need, they preach down at you even the more, if they are not already foaming at the corner of the mouth. More Christians must speak out against the irresponsible transgression on the freedoms of expression of their brethren and the public nuisance they make of themselves since they have abandoned peaceful principles in preaching and promoting their doctrines? Venturing into the far fringes of the religious extremism, some of these mobile proselytizing warriors who make their living out of making other people's lives miserable actually hop from bus to bus all day, like people selling cheap and fake medical products in Molues, to sell their own products by all means necessary! As Bola Olajide, himself a Christian, rightly observed in his article in The Guardian newspaper of 9 July, 2008, titled 'The pastors and the expressway churches'; Good products, as the Yorubas would say, need not much advertising.

But these extreme actions are not restricted to disturbances and polluting noise on the bus alone, rather this is only the latest manifestation of an unbridled zealousness that can be seen pretty much everywhere else:  on TV where they compete with the brain-numbing programmes such as Big Brother Africa, on expressway where they constitute major road safety hazards and literally shut down- for days in a row- a major motorway linking Lagos to most part of the country, in public schools and even in some offices where Muslim workers are compelled to join in a grueling prayer session to a God they do not worship. How much tolerant and peace-loving would these same zealots be if Christians are hounded and so much harassed by Muslim preachers in almost all aspects of their daily life?

In our public schools in Lagos State for instance, students, irrespective of their religious affiliation, were compelled to partake in daily Christian rituals of praise-singing. Bible and tracts were freely distributed under the watchful eyes of the schools' management body. Should parents of Muslim teenagers in public schools not be informed for their explicit consent before their wards are issued what amounts to religious tracts? It got even so bad that some schools in Lagos State imposed corporal punishment on any student, Christian and Muslim, who failed to buy and bring to school the Christian hymn book, called the Songs of Praise, from which the whole assembly of students daily sing the morning praises and prayers to Jesus Christ (PBUH)-  an act that is sternly condemned in Islam.  Corporal punishments that are imposed and enforced by extremists taking cheap advantage of both the schools system, and the young, vulnerable and impressionable children that are entrusted to their care for proper education. Yet every day, except Friday, Muslim students are literally compelled to sing unbearably atonal Christian hymns however strongly objectionable they and their parents find this. All these were happening in public schools, where in a truly multi religious society, public institutions must be used to teach respect for God, respect for different faiths and for religious tolerance as means to forming good citizens. How much of the same nonsense are still going on in our public schools may be more shocking when the full extents of the problem are revealed. This is where the extremism was incubated before it progressed into public buses and workplaces. Is it not time for the preachers to take some civility on board in their manners and conducts?

As rightly observed in one of his most refreshing comments lately (The Crisis of Mental Disorder in High and Low Places), Dr Reuben Abati rightly observed that "Religion is supposed to make a difference especially in the area of behavioural disorders. The religions are supposed to teach brotherhood, civility, temperance and great virtues. Unfortunately in Nigeria, religion has been a strong vehicle for encouraging mass hysteria and other forms of neurosis." (Mrs Waziri and mad Nigerian leaders, The Guardian Editorial Comment by Dr Reuben Abati, 11 July, 2008). Promoting religion in a multi-religious society must be done in a civil manner that does not offend or invade into other people's privacy. If the Christians want peace and brotherhood, they should abandon the belief that more extremist and zealot methods will do the job for them, and try to work out how to be less invasive. Our scriptures counsel endless patience. Were it not for Islam, the direct and harsh provocations Muslims encounter would have spurned direct antagonistic reactions or retaliatory actions that would be out of control or make peace and orderliness in the public buses simply impossible. Yet, some of us have been tipped over the edge.

Muslims equally find the obligation to propagate and call to their faith in the explicit commands of both the Qur'an and the Ahadith (sayings) of prophet Muhammad (PBUH). And we take these commands quite seriously as a religious duty. However, coupled with this responsibility is the need to find balance and promote human relations in both our conducts and our manners- also a Quranic command. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in one of his beautiful authentic Ahadith (sayings), stated the following: If you love God, serve humanity. I demand of the Christians to explore the resources within their own tradition to love God nd serve humanity in their religious rivalry that has been primarily responsible for the transgression. The message carried in the actions of the church leaders that send these zealots out seem to be, yes, this method of evangelizing and proselytizing may not be civil or promote social order and human relations, but go ahead and do it anyway. What the society needs today, perhaps more than ever, is for all groups to realize that we are all humans who must learn to coexist peacefully in this limited space of ours. Preachers and religious leaders who engage in disruptive actions and excuse such on the immoral need to meet people's spiritual needs or merely calling people to God as an exercise of their freedom of religious expression are only advancing their own hidden agendas none of which will lead to the harmonization of human relations and peaceful co-existence.

Disu Kamor

Director of Media & Communications

Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC, Nigeria

e-mail: kamor.disu@mpac-ng.org

website: www.mpac-ng.org

Robot  # 1 | 23.07.2008 22:31

...Read the full article.

Agidimolaja  # 2 | 24.07.2008 02:30

Disu, You are now more than an Islamic nuisance as evidenced by all your submissions,you are a menace. This topsy-turvy you newly packaged out has helped a lot in arriving at that conclusion. Why did you concern yourself with few unpleasant chritian activities while you covered up several worst Islamic activities? There you go again. It is true that certain christians engaged in preaching inside the buses especially in Lagos metroplex. As a christian,I also cannot stand their presence and the irritations they caused each time I witnessed their needless activities as a way of trying to preach the Gospel.Such christian activity is very uncivilized and it is only in a primitive society like Nigeria that such primitivity can go on unchallenged even by various Governments. There is no where in the Western society where preachers would be preaching inside the bus or train.It is not done here. While our constitution allowed freedom of religion,yet common sense should dictate to us how not to abuse that part of the constitution. I strongly condemned any christian activity that goes to the extreme. But Mallam Disu,can we compare what you considered as christian nuisance inside the buses to the menace of several Islamic activities? Islam and moslems are by far the worst in annoying people all over the land.Moslems are the most primitive set of people I have come across everywhere. Imam Disu,what are we to say about moslems' loud and irritating early morning crowings?Is that ugly barkings every morning and every five hours not much more annoying than preaching inside the buses? Every morning,our ears are disturbed and our sleeps are broken because moslems are calling for worship. Can anything be more annoying than what I have witnessed for years in my mother's home state of Kwara where I grew up with my grandmother before returning back to Oshun State where I'm originally from. In Ilorin the capital of Kwara State,moslem natives are as worst as other moslems all over the country.When it is time for the Friday prayers at the cetral mosque ,all commercial activities by moslems and non moslems come to a halt.There must be no any kind of business transaction around the mosque that is located in the centre of Ilorin business district. Not only that;businesses within about a mile in every directions are forced to close down.Why? Just because moslems wanted to worship! Islamic thugs would be roaming around looking for scapegoats whose wares would be looted and carted away in the name of Islam. Also in Ilorin, on Id el fatr day.Moslems converged at the prayerground called Yidi.Commercial activities along their routes are all shut down as they took over all the roads.It is always a big mess out there,yet Disu have not seen anything wrong with that inhumanity associated with Islamic order of worship. What a shame! Are all those not by far worst than the few minutes of preachings in the bus? Not all Northern States natives are moslems. Apart from that,several Southerners who are not moslems live therein. Yet with no respect for their constitutional rights of freedom of religion,Sharia was imposed upon these people and are forced to do the dictates of ther satanic verses called Koran. Why then do you complain about Lagos State Government and some christian institutions in Lagos State?Why have you and your mean-hearted Islamic leaders not relieved non-moslems in the North from the heavy burdens of Sharia? Recently,three Islamic former Head of State just provoked everyone{except Northern moslems} by telling us blatant lies that Sanni Abacha did not loot the nation's treasury.Up till this moment, we have not heard moslems condemned the three rogues.I'm not surprised however,for that is how Islam and moslems operate in gross hypocrisy just as you too is doing right now with your latest submission. I sincerely admonished you to talk about the numerous evils that your Islam and its moslems put up on display and help put an end to them before you venture into the minimal issues of christians. Please stop being hypocritical.

allaccess  # 3 | 24.07.2008 08:04

Agidimolaja, Sir I commend you for such a wonderful response to this half accepted-Muslim Monday morning quarterback called Disu Kamaru. Disu is a member of a long line of non-Hausa/Fulani Muslims who use such PRO-active overzealous utterances to gain acceptance in a Nigerian -northern sect where he may very well be slaughtered of being an inferior Nigerian Muslim, I know the type. He practices an age old tradition common with Islam whereby distorting the truth is the only way they can avoid shame and maintain honour. Thus they resort to secrecy, deception, distortion and outright lying as legitimate strategies for protecting and augmenting their blood-thirsty religion. Left unchecked, their form of psychopathology will inevitably escalate; and the lies and deceit (including self-deception) necessary to maintain dangerous propaganda and avoid shame will eventually rise to an even higher and more dangerous pathological level-- as demonstrated by their world renowned barbaric paranoia and psychological behaviour.

ade123  # 4 | 24.07.2008 09:42

I do not take the psychosis displayed in the comments by agidimolaja and allaccess as anything worthy of response as they are so self evidently and insanely off the mark. And it is so typical of the duo. These are two of the extremist fringe on this portal that desperately search for ANYTHING on the website to spew their venom against Islam and Muslims. It is a pathology and obssession that are engrained in them such that they feel unfulfiled on a daily basis until they find an opportunity to let the demon in them loose. If you have any problem whatsoever in the way and manner Muslims conduct their worship or religious activities in any part of the country, say it, write about it, protest against it, in fact do anything allowed you in the law of the land against it. Dont use these as counterweight for your own sensless transgressions and dont wait until Muslims complain - and infact non-Muslims have complained about the nonsense going on in the public buses- about a legitimate concern to take another venomous swipe against Islam and Muslims. I know this is your pastime. The Muslims in the north, east and infact elsewhere in the world are our brothers and sisters in faith. This is a strong bond that your poisonous attacks cannot affect in anyway. Of course there have been needless and violent clashes between the Muslims and Christians in the North. This may be because there are more Christians like you in the north- brainwashed people with pathological hatred for Islam. More reasonable Christians have commented (in writing and verbally) in the similar tone as the article so why the hue and cry- is it just becuse the writer is a Muslim? With more people like the two of you in Nigeria, we are all in trouble.

tonsoyo  # 5 | 24.07.2008 10:32

Agidimolaja thank you for your comprehensive response to the one-sided and irresponsible article from this Disu of a man. @ade123, Why should allaccess need to write his own about Islamic irresponsibilities in Nigeria? It imperative for every public commentator to make all reasonable attempts at balancing his story. Why is this Disu Kamor or whatever seeking to remove a speck from somebody's eye, while he left a whole log hanging in his own. The last time I checked it was not Christians that beheaded Godwin Akaluka hanged his head on a stick and danced about the city with it. The last time I checked it was not Christians that went on rampage burning Churches and killing people because of a cartoon drawn in far away Denmark. The last time I checked it was not Christian that threatened to stone and kill the Beauty Queens contestants from all over the world, just because they do not like their way of dressing. The last time I checked it was not Christians that breed Almajiris enmasse to unleash mayhem on the polity at the whims and caprices of the mallams, shehus and Imams. The last time I checked it was not Christians that murdered their pregnant Teacher because they think she said something about Islam that they do not like. Where was this "Director of Communication" when all these were hapening? And he has the audacity to complain about preaching in buses? What a bunkum? Who need preaching everywhere if not murderers? Moslems consitute greater nuisance and danger to the welfare of fellow human beings in Nigeria and indeed the whole world than any other religion. It took me forever to get over the pain that they caused me by waking me up involuntarily at 5 am for some years by that nasty wake up calls, even after I no longer lived in the area, my mind became attached to waking up at that our before they struck. This article is arrant nonsense and an exhibition of intolerance that this religion is well known for.

ade123  # 6 | 24.07.2008 11:36

I can see how easy and comfortable it is to do seletive reading and point fingers. Especially when we have blinding sentiments, rather than reason, driving every sentence we write. If you are not just paying lip service to condeming 'the barbaric' actions of your brethren on the buses, you too would not be engaged in another barbaric actions here- you're pot that is calling kettle black. The same self-righteous hypocrisy and blind hatred for Islam that drive most of the people in your extremist camp are apparent here. Why does it take you this article to come out and write about the barbaric action of the hopping hot gospellers? What I read in the last paragraph of this are - in part: Preachers and religious leaders who engage in disruptive actions and excuse such on the immoral need to meet people's spiritual needs or merely calling people to God as an exercise of their freedom of religious expression are only advancing their own hidden agendas none of which will lead to the harmonization of human relations and peaceful co-existence. As a Muslim, I understand this to be a call on all religious groups to ensure they do not engage in distruptive activitie. If however you're not satisfied with this, you may edit the article and insert your preferred choice of words there. It is so easy to be armchair critics. Tonsoyo: It would be wrong for me to look at the actions of fundamentalist Christians like you guys and use this as a yardstick for Christianity, and so will it be equally wrong of you to do likewise against Islam. In ALL the terrible examples you gave in free fall, where is the Christian factor that gave birth to each and every one of the crises- however unjustifiable the terrible crimes were. You see this is more a problem of hypocrisy when you over-emphasis the role of one group at the expense of the whole truth. Each and every example you gave was a REACTION to less-than-peaceful ACTIONS of the christians, wasn't it- however abohernt and short sighted those reactions were.Where are the Christian voices condeming those ACTIONS? Yet you like to impress us with your enviable record on being peace-loving. You can fool some people sometimes, but you cant fool all the people all the time. When was the last time, ANYWHERE in the world that you heard/read of Muslims tearing up or defeacating on the bible, disparaging Jesus Christ (PBUH), his family or even his disciples that worked with him? When and where? Any Muslim who does ANY of these BY THE WORDS AND ACTIONS OF MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AND BY THE CONSENSUS OF OUR SCHOLARS is a sinner. Even though we do not agree with some of your doctrines and concepts, we are commanded and enjoined to discuss and debate these disagreements with you with respect, in patience and with good manners. Your own bible tells you to deal with others as you would love to be treated. Use these as yardsticks for your actions on tis website and in the real world. In fact a section of the Nigerian Christians- the so-called evangelicals- are some of the worst extremist I have seen even within that sect of Christianity. And you have all those examples you gave as part proof. But all these are only means to digress from the main subject of the article. Do you guys find it difficult to focus on the points raised specifically in the article. It seems that the voice of reason is being progressivey drowned by the roar of Islam bashing- a popular sport. P.S: I do not hold brief for the brother who wrote the wonderful article, but a quick look at the website of his organisation will let you know 'where he was' when 'all these were happening': See for yourselves http://www.mpac-ng.org/positions/mpac_positions.php

dem  # 7 | 24.07.2008 11:41

....Throw them off.

Mikky jaga  # 8 | 24.07.2008 12:32

The sky is wide enough for all birds to fly without infringing each other. If the muslims have a message to pass across, let them enter the buses and preach on. Freedom of speech is enshrined in our constitution. It is strange, however that a man complaining about Christian preaching inside buses did not see anything wrong with the medicine men that cause more problems with their "cure all" medicines they proudly advertise on our buses. Preaching in the bus is not the problem. Prohibition of Christian preaching as obtained in some states where moslems are in the majority (eg. within Kano city) is a worse evil since it infringes on our constitution.

ade123  # 9 | 24.07.2008 12:45

=Mikky jaga;4295074779>The sky is wide enough for all birds to fly without infringing each other. If the muslims have a message to pass across, let them enter the buses and preach on. Freedom of speech is enshrined in our constitution.QUOTE> Indeed, you're right. Let's turn this country into one big Jurrasic Park!

tonsoyo  # 10 | 24.07.2008 13:37

=ade123;4295074727>I can see how easy and comfortable it is to do seletive reading and point fingers. Especially when we have blinding sentiments, rather than reason, driving every sentence we write. If you are not just paying lip service to condeming 'the barbaric' actions of your brethren on the buses, you too would not be engaged in another barbaric actions here- you're pot that is calling kettle black. The same self-righteous hypocrisy and blind hatred for Islam that drive most of the people in your extremist camp are apparent here. Why does it take you this article to come out and write about the barbaric action of the hopping hot gospellers? What I read in the last paragraph of this are - in part: Preachers and religious leaders who engage in disruptive actions and excuse such on the immoral need to meet people's spiritual needs or merely calling people to God as an exercise of their freedom of religious expression are only advancing their own hidden agendas none of which will lead to the harmonization of human relations and peaceful co-existence. As a Muslim, I understand this to be a call on all religious groups to ensure they do not engage in distruptive activitie. If however you're not satisfied with this, you may edit the article and insert your preferred choice of words there. It is so easy to be armchair critics. Tonsoyo says: We are not fooled by such reference to "religious leaders" the subject matter of his discourse is clear fom the title "Christian Preachers" If he actually meant all religious groups that should reflected in the title of his article. Tonsoyo: It would be wrong for me to look at the actions of fundamentalist Christians like you guys and use this as a yardstick for Christianity, and so will it be equally wrong of you to do likewise against Islam. In ALL the terrible examples you gave in free fall, where is the Christian factor that gave birth to each and every one of the crises- however unjustifiable the terrible crimes were. You see this is more a problem of hypocrisy when you over-emphasis the role of one group at the expense of the whole truth. Each and every example you gave was a REACTION to less-than-peaceful ACTIONS of the christians, wasn't it- however abohernt and short sighted those reactions were.Where are the Christian voices condeming those ACTIONS? Yet you like to impress us with your enviable record on being peace-loving. You can fool some people sometimes, but you cant fool all the people all the time. When was the last time, ANYWHERE in the world that you heard/read of Muslims tearing up or defeacating on the bible, disparaging Jesus Christ (PBUH), his family or even his disciples that worked with him? When and where? Any Muslim who does ANY of these BY THE WORDS AND ACTIONS OF MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AND BY THE CONSENSUS OF OUR SCHOLARS is a sinner. Even though we do not agree with some of your doctrines and concepts, we are commanded and enjoined to discuss and debate these disagreements with you with respect, in patience and with good manners. Your own bible tells you to deal with others as you would love to be treated. Use these as yardsticks for your actions on tis website and in the real world. In fact a section of the Nigerian Christians- the so-called evangelicals- are some of the worst extremist I have seen even within that sect of Christianity. And you have all those examples you gave as part proof. Tonsoyo says: It has even become more ridiculous now that you have sanctioned murder, by making reference to "defeacating" a reason why Akaluka was beheaded. Gideon Akaluka found already torn away piece of paper he could not even have imagined came from a Quran since he was not a Muslim and did not study Arabic and used it to clean up, and you think he should be beheaded? Are you saying that Chruches should be burnt and people killed in Nigeria for a cartoon drawn in Denmark? You think it is acceptable to you to threaten and issue fatwa on people for simply participating in Beauty Pageant or what exactly do you mean when you wrote: "where is the Christian factor that gave birth to each and every one of the crises- however unjustifiable the terrible crimes were" Did you mean that you can actually find reasons to justify such gruesome and animalistic behaviors? Muslims abuse Christ on daily basis all over the world, as a matter of fact that is their pasttime. Islam have nothing to rpeach to people other than castigate Christianity, if Christians are like Muslims, Nigeria would have gone up in flames long time ago. But we do not kill on behalf of Christ, mister. But all these are only means to digress from the main subject of the article. Do you guys find it difficult to focus on the points raised specifically in the article. It seems that the voice of reason is being progressivey drowned by the roar of Islam bashing- a popular sport. P.S: I do not hold brief for the brother who wrote the wonderful article, but a quick look at the website of his organisation will let you know 'where he was' when 'all these were happening': See for yourselves http://www.mpac-ng.org/positions/mpac_positions.php Tonsoyo says: The point he raised has to be viewed within the context of religious relationship in Nigeria. Each of this religions may have their little bits of excesses but Muslims are so extreme that they should not found to be complaining about something as simple as preaching in buses. Laws regulating freedom of speech are yet to be developed in Nigeria. These people are therefore not doing anything illegal. But your Muslims brothers maim and kill at the slightest excuse. All Islamic leadership in Nigeria are estopped from complaining against any other religious group in Nigeria until they can put their own house in order. You should be more concerned with the murderous tendencies of your people than somebody preaching in a bus.:rolleyes:

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