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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| Halima |
| 11/22/02 at 02:57:54 |
| Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article The Associated Press Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 21--(AP) - More than 50 people were stabbed, bludgeoned or burned to death during violent demonstrations Thursday in the northern city of Kaduna triggered by a newspaper article suggesting Islam's founding prophet might have chosen a wife from among contestants in the Miss World beauty pageant in Nigeria. At least 200 others were seriously injured and four churches were torched, Nigerian Red Cross president Emmanuel Ijewere told The Associated Press. Many of the bodies were taken by Red Cross workers and other volunteers to local mortuaries. But many more remained inside homes that were set alight by the demonstrators, Ijewere said. "A lot of people died. We don't know yet exactly how many ... more than 50," he said.Shehu Sani of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress said he watched a crowd stab one young man, then force a tire filled with gasoline around his neck and burn him alive. Sani said he saw three other bodies elsewhere in the city. Alsa Hassan, founder of another human rights group, Alsa Care, said he saw a commuter being dragged out of his car and beaten to death by protesters. Schools and shops hurriedly closed Thursday morning as hordes of young men, shouting "Allahu Akhbar," or "God is great," ignited makeshift street barricades made of tires and garbage, sending plumes of black smoke rising above the city. Others were heard chanting, "Down with beauty" and "Miss World is sin." Hundreds of police and soldiers were deployed to restore calm. Riding in pickup trucks, they fired tear gas at protesters marching through otherwise abandoned streets waving tree branches and palm fronds. State government officials declared a curfew of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. A businessman, Lateef Mohammed, said he saw young men smashing the windows of two small churches in Badarawa, a predominantly Muslim area. Two other witnesses interviewed separately gave similar accounts. "I just rushed to get to my home. It was very tense," Mohammed said by telephone. Previous riots in Kaduna, a largely Muslim city with a sizable Christian minority, have escalated into religious battles that killed hundreds since civilian government replaced military rule in 1999. The latest demonstrations began Wednesday with the burning of an office of ThisDay newspaper in Kaduna after it published an article questioning the reasoning of Muslim groups that have condemned the Miss World pageant, to be held Dec. 7 in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Muslim groups say the pageant promotes sexual promiscuity and indecency. "What would (the prophet) Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them (the contestants)," Isioma Daniel wrote in Saturday's article. The Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, the country's highest Muslim body, has urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to cancel the pageant and sanction the newspaper. Other Muslim groups have called for boycotts and other unspecified actions against the publication. An influential fundamentalist Muslim cleric in the northern city of Kano, Karibullah Nasiru Kabara, warned Thursday that he and other leaders would only "appeal to the people not to take the law into their own hands" if the government punishes the newspaper's editors and calls off the pageant. "When we say 'stop it,' the people stop it. When we say 'do this,' the people do the same," Kabara said. On Monday, ThisDay ran a brief front-page apology for sections considered offensive to Muslims, which it said had been mistakenly published after being removed by the supervising editor. The newspaper ran a second, more lengthy retraction and apology Thursday. Islamic fundamentalist groups have for several months warned of protests against the Miss World pageant, prompting organizers to postpone the finale until after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Participants from at least five countries are boycotting the pageant because Islamic courts in Nigeria have sentenced several unmarried women to death by stoning for conceiving babies outside wedlock. Nigeria's government insists none of the judgments will be carried out, although it has refused to intervene directly. Miss World publicist Stella Din said pageant organizers hoped calm would quickly return to Kaduna. "We are very, very sad that it has come to this - even if there is a loss of one life, it makes us sad. We are appealing to all to please exercise restraint," Din said. |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| Sparrow |
| 11/22/02 at 11:12:03 |
| Hi Everyone: I don't know why anyone, anywhere, be they Muslim, Christian or Jew, thinks they have the right to vandalize, maim and kill simply because they are angry or offended by something that appears in print or on the TV. And this is certainly not limited to Nigeria! People behave like this around the globe. At soccer matches even! Self-defense and peaceful protests are one things, but this is just madness, and more proof that EVERYONE across the globe needs to calm down and COOL OFF. Why is the first reaction to everything that displeases us violence? Peace, Sparrow |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| jaihoon |
| 11/22/02 at 14:00:31 |
Violent vandalism is certainly disapproved in Islam, especially when we consider the saying of its MERCY-ful Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, '... removing a harmful thing from the path' is among the seventy parts of faith! *BUT*, when the one malignes is not just *someone*, but one who is dearer than their own selves, things can out of control... :( Lord forbid! What an insulting comment did the paper make. No human, whether a man who believes in God or not, can afford to make such demeaning statement. >:( Peace, Jaihoon |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| Ameeraana |
| 11/22/02 at 19:15:06 |
| This is a horrible tragedy going on.. but the governer's men made the wrong decision when they started the violence...its not mentioned in this article but in another one it quoted, [color=Blue]"People are angry because the governor refused to receive a group of protesters who came yesterday to deliver a petition against the newspaper article," one resident said. "Instead security forces fired teargas and opened fire, killing five people right there at the gate of government house," said the resident, asking not to be named.[/color] That was wrong to not even acknowledge their protests and just start shooting tear gas out at them... |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| UmmWafi |
| 11/24/02 at 21:05:43 |
| [slm] Nigeria it seems has come into the news frequently lately. Hmmm...not just for the beauty pageant fiasco either. I wonder, we Muslims are quick to be critical of acts we felt unjustly undertaken by non-Muslims. We cry horror at the gross violation of human lives in Palestine, Bosnia, Afghanistan etc. What is our take on actions done by Muslims ? From my observations, usually we are rather united in condeming travesty done by non-Muslims and rather divided when certain acts are done by Muslims. So, as much as I am not interested in which mis-represented lady is crowned Miss World, there is one lady who is not a contestant of the pageant but somehow linked with it. The lady called Amina who will soon be stoned to death for adultery if her 2nd appeal is rejected. She is supposedly tried in a Syariaah Court under Syariah Laws and found guilty. BTW, the sperm-donor gets off scot free. I have my views on this and am working with some people regarding this. What is your stand on this issue ? Thoughts, and hikmah, welcomed. Wassalam. |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| Ameeraana |
| 11/25/02 at 18:26:10 |
| Salaam Aleikum sis, there was already a thread on Amina Lawal : http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/madina/YaBB.pl?board=ummah;action=display;num=1032108717 Yes, it is horrible that there were these huge riots over that newspaper article. I can't believe over 200 people have died now even though two apologies have been published since. Its a shame that violence spreads out so quickly and I hate to hear it when my fellow Muslims are involved. Ameera |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| bhaloo |
| 11/26/02 at 01:03:02 |
| [slm] [quote author=UmmWafi link=board=ummah;num=1037951874;start=0#4 date=11/24/02 at 21:05:43] From my observations, usually we are rather united in condeming travesty done by non-Muslims and rather divided when certain acts are done by Muslims. [/quote] I wish there was more condemnation of the actions of the non-Muslims. As for the Muslims and the cases that you are referring to, numerous scholars have posted their views on this Amina case, and sister Ameerana has the link to that discussion there, I'm in agreement with the scholars there. As for the case of this Miss World issue we shouldn't rush to condemn our Muslim brothers and sisters without knowing the facts. Its very shameful to see people jumping the gun and pointing fingers at other Muslims when they don't even know the facts, and many examples of this sort of behavior have happened over the last few years. We should be supportive of one another and if there is an injustice if its committed by Muslims then speak out, but if we don't have ALL the facts, there is no need to cause damage to other Muslims. Sister Ameerana has brought up an excellent point in this Miss World issue, that being: People are angry because the governor refused to receive a group of protesters who came yesterday to deliver a petition against the newspaper article," one resident said. "Instead security forces fired teargas and opened fire, killing five people right there at the gate of government house," said the resident, asking not to be named. ;=============== IF this is the case, that Muslims were shot at, then I see nothing wrong in defendeing themselves and fighting back against their attackers. I heard in another report that the christians had automatic weapons as well. |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| BroHanif |
| 11/26/02 at 04:42:34 |
| Salaams, [quote]She is supposedly tried in a Syariaah Court under Syariah Laws and found guilty. BTW, the sperm-donor gets off scot free. [/quote] I hope they find the guy who did it and inpose the same punishment on him as well. Or perhaps his already dead. Who knows...yet one thing the Muslims should have done is picked up the journalists who wrote the article and deliver the right punishment for them. Salaams Hanif |
| NS |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| bismilla |
| 11/26/02 at 09:48:41 |
| [slm] 1. It is common knowledege that Nigeria and it's population are ruled by Islamic Law, then why must a pageant of this nature be "shoved into their faces"?? Surely that in itself was an insult. 2. To add insult to injury, ignorant (or maybe not so ignorant) people commenetd that the Prophet Muhammed [saw] would surely have married one of the "beauty queens" (La Hawla la Quwat). The fact is, whoever decided to stage the so called beauty pageant knew full WHERE they were going and as such should have taken the laws, cultures and norms of that area into considertion and respected them. Instead what we have is a bunch of females trying to "save the Muslims from themselves". Totally and utterly disgusting that they should even consider that the Muslim public would welcome them in the first place. As far as i am concerened they had no business taking the pageant into Nigeria in the first place and i for one am rather pleased that it was moved out of there. [slm] |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| oneway2paradise |
| 11/26/02 at 16:05:46 |
| [slm] Actually, they are still having the pageant. They moved the date to December 7. I checked the website to see why they would have it in Nigeria. The reason is because the winner from last year is from Nigeria. So, I got the impression that they hold the pageant in the country in which the previous winner lives. Do you know what is really funny? The reason they said they changed the date. They said it is because they want to respect the Muslim brothers and sisters who are fasting and practicing abstinence for the month of Ramadan. If they were to hold it on the original date, it would be during Ramadan. So, they are pushing the date to Dec. 7. Isn't that funny? You can check the website yourself: [url]www.missworld.org[/url] [slm] |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| zanfaz |
| 11/27/02 at 14:04:02 |
| [slm] [quote]Actually, they are still having the pageant. They moved the date to December 7. I checked the website to see why they would have it in Nigeria. The reason is because the winner from last year is from Nigeria [/quote] They have moved the competition to London. Check out here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2505353.stm Miss world web-site also mentions that. |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| amatullah |
| 11/28/02 at 14:34:39 |
| [slm] I think it is good they were not doormats. I think they gave lots of warning that this is not welcome to begin wiht that it is against the majorities religion. And still the colonizers try to rub people's noses with their power. Muslims are being killed and oppressed all over the world, and whenever they use the same means that is used against them, they are made into the wrong-doers and terrorists in the media and their sheep. I think it is not a coincidence that they insist on having it after the people reject it and knowing it is the holy month of ramadan. It is a slap in the face. they know we are weak on this earth. The "west" has no true concept of dignity, struggle for beliefs, or even anything truely sacred anymore. I think if we let them insult the prophet of Allah saws they will go further. I know it is not true for everyone, but it is a true observation of the majority i know of. The prophet [saw] may not have faught them saying bad things about him, but i doubt the sahaba and tabi'een would let it just be. This is a nice quote i got from the article in islamonline on this issue. "Dr. Ali Juma`ah professor of Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence said: “Indeed, hurling insults and attacking the noble personality of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from non-Muslims is nothing new. Rather it is an often repeated scenario. I would like to stress that such insults against the Prophet do stress his high status and noble character. “In Islam, it is well known that the punishment for the one who insults the Prophet is to be killed because it constitutes an attack against the seal of the Prophets and the symbol of monotheism. However, we Muslims are ordered to be forgiving and pardoning. “Although we categorically deny the perverted behavior of those ill-mannered people who attack the Prophet and insult him, we are ordered to call others to the truth with wisdom and fair exhortation. “Finally, I would like to state that the enemies of Islam will continue on their attacks and insults, especially against the Prophet Muhammad and we Muslims warn them against their erroneous approach and the unjust trend they are embarking on.” http://islamonline.org/english/news/2002-11/27/article79.shtml |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| Fatimah |
| 11/28/02 at 23:09:38 |
| [slm] Nigerian Muslim clerics reject fatwa This Day newspaper apologised for the article Nigeria's top Muslim authorities have ruled that a religious edict calling for a journalist to be killed "should be ignored". The Supreme Islamic Council said the deputy provincial governor who issued the edict, or fatwa, had "no authority" to do so. On Tuesday the government of Nigeria's Zamfara state called on Muslims to kill journalist Isioma Daniel over an article she wrote about the Miss World pageant, which was to have taken place in Nigeria. The Zamfara state government has no authority to issue fatwa and the fatwa issued by it should be ignored < Nigeria's Supreme Islamic Council > Rioting that killed more than 200 people in the wake of the article prompted the organisers of the pageant to move the event from Nigeria to London. Ms Daniel apologised for the article, which suggested that the Prophet Mohammed may have approved of the pageant. Last week the office of her newspaper, This Day, was levelled by angry Muslims during the riots in the heavily Muslim town of Kaduna. 'Against our beliefs' The newspaper also issued an apology for the article. "The offensive paragraph runs against the grain of our beliefs and what we stand for at This Day as we show sensitivity to the complexity of our nation," the editors wrote. Many Islamic scholars said that Ms Daniel's apology amounted to repentance and that the death sentence should therefore be revoked. Ms Daniel, who is not a Muslim, has left the newspaper and fled Nigeria. The government has said it will not allow the fatwa to be carried out, though it did condemn Ms Daniel's article as irresponsible. |
| Re: Muslims Riot Over by Miss World Article |
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| UmmWafi |
| 11/30/02 at 07:42:04 |
| [slm] Some points : 1. Did NOT condemn Muslims nor pointed fingers 2. Did not write in support of or against Miss World. That event is way way too boring for me to actually comment upon. 3. Was more interested in looking at the modern application of judgements. Eid Mubarak to all. Wassalam. |
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