The governor of Osun State, Ogbeni. Rauf Aregbesola yesterday endorsed Jihad but gave the Boko Haram knocks for using the concept to advance their reign of terror.
Aregbesola, who spoke Thursday at the 6th Annual Femi Lateef Okunnu Lateef Series in Ile Ife, Osun State, organised by the Nigeria Association of Muslim Law Students, said there is nothing wrong with Jihad, which he described as an Islamic concept that seeks to promote the establishment of a personal relationship with Allah by Muslims.
The governor decried the misconception of Jihad to mean war or violence.
Aregbesola said, “Jihad should not be turned into a license to unleash terror on people, Muslims and Christians alike and as well as to destabilise the nation.
”Contrary to the claims by groups such as the Boko Haram sect, Jihad is neither a call to arms nor an ideological blueprint for destructive insurgency. Jihad in Islam is at its core about establishing a personal relationship with Allah. The meaning of Jihad in Islam is a total submission to the will and obedience to the laws of Allah.
“Submitting to Allah’s will is an act of conscious choice granted to mankind by God; obeying His laws is a demonstration and vindication of that submission.
“The abused notion of Jihad often used as justification for satanic atrocities of insurgent groups, such as the Boko Haram sect, is a gross misapplication of the concept.
“Jihad is far from being an open cheque for senseless violence, neither is it a Qur’anic endorsement of the pursuit of selfish political desires.
“The concept of Jihad in Islam simply means ‘struggle’ or ‘striving.’ It has two broad dimensions – external and internal striving.”
The governor said groups such as Boko Haram has no justification in Islam for the violence they unleash on people.
He added, “If Islam thus forbids violence against innocents, how then can Boko Haram justify the senseless killings, maiming, kidnappings of innocent women, children and girls?”
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