Muric director Ishaq Akintola says hate speeches by pastors are responsible for the rise in blasphemy

ISLAMIC body the Muslim Rights Concern (Muric) has responded to the recent murder of Deborah Samuel at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto by stating that the rising incidents of blasphemy is partly due hate sermons delivered by pastors.

Last week, Ms Samuel was stoned to death and then set ablaze by Muslim zealots who had accused her of blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed. Her death led to nationwide condemnation of the act, leading to the arrest of two suspects but this in turn led to riots by Muslims calling for their release.

Responding to the crisis, Muric director Professor Ishaq Akintola, noted that the rising incidents of blasphemy in various parts of the country was partly because of hate sermons delivered by some clerics in their various churches. He noted that video clips of famous pastors preaching hate and pouring out venomous and toxic sermons on the pulpit have gone viral on many occasions.

Professor Akintola said: “It has come to our notice that the root of blasphemy and its proliferation in this country is the licencious indulgence in and permission of hate sermons by Christian clerics and leaders respectively. Our weak institutions also condone both hate sermons and blasphemy and these are disasters waiting to happen unless we take urgent steps to plug the leaking holes.”

However, he applauded the advice given by the Christian Association of Nigeria on the need to respect the religion of one another. According to Professor Akintola, it is these hate sermons which instigate the ordinary Christians to make derogatory remarks about Islam and its prophets.

“It is our contention that there will be no blasphemy if there is no hate sermon. We, therefore, invite Christian leaders to caution pastors who are in the habit of preaching hate and deriding Islam.

“We must recognise the fact that there is suicide speech, just as there is hate speech. Anybody can love Adolf Hitler but when someone goes to Israel, climbs a table in the midst of a Jewish crowd and shouts I love Hitler, it is doubtful if his family will have anything at all to bury from the bulk of his anatomy,” Professor Akintola said.