Islamic Movement of Nigeria

Established in 1954

Founder Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky

The goals of forming an Islamic structure and state

The Islamic movement of Nigeria is active in Nigeria along with the Christian activities. The Nigerian Islamic Movement is divided into two general sections: Shia and close to Shia and Salafi. Saudi Arabia has always tried to strengthen Salafi Islam and Wahhabi tendencies, but Sheikh Zakzaky’s activities  is the strongest current of political Islam in Nigeria, which has a great influence on public opinion.

Islamic Movement of Nigeria

The Islamic movement is active in Nigeria along with the Christian currents. The Nigerian Islamic movement is divided into two general sections: Shia and close to Shia and Salafi.Saudi Arabia has always tried to strengthen Salafi Islam and Wahhabi tendencies, but the current attributed to Sheikh Zakzaky is the strongest current of political Islam in Nigeria, which has a great impact on public opinion.

However, the pressure on Nigerian Muslims has increased in recent years with the arrest of Sheikh Zakzaky. The Nigerian government has banned any gathering by Muslims in the country, and the Nigerian security forces deal violently with Muslims participating in religious ceremonies.

According to Nigerian officials, Sheikh Zakzaky is the cause of unity and empathy among Muslims, while some officials of this country, under the pressure of foreign regimes, including the Zionist regime and the United States, are demanded division among Muslims and their non-participation in the political and economic structure of Nigeria. Although the pressure of the Nigerian authorities to remove Sheikh Zakzaky continues  ,   But not only the Muslims of Nigeria, but also the public opinion of the Muslims of the world do not support such policies and they also support the Muslims of the world and demand the release of Zakzaky.So according to the popular base of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, the future of this movement It seems will be  bright even despite the deterioration of Sheikh Zakzaky's physical condition.

The formation of the movement

The formation of the Islamic movement in Nigeria is the result of the social conditions of this country, the split in a student organization called the Muslim Students Association, and the religious rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In 1954, Christians decided to expel Muslim students from universities and schools under their supervision. This caused some Muslim students to hold religious ceremonies in private to avoid being expelled from the university.

In this way, on April 17 1954, forty Muslim students from seven different secondary schools, on behalf of their classmates, founded the Muslim Students Association, led by Babs Fafuno, who later became Nigeria's Minister of Education.

In the 1970s, this association became a full-fledged Islamic organization in the north of the country and took the leadership of many movements.

In the mid-1970s, the economic and political difficulties caused by the military regime led some members of this association to the idea that the only solution to the problems of Nigeria is to return to Islam and fully implement its teachings. Since 1979, with the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the formation of ideological competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the second wave of political Islamism began in Nigeria and caused the association's members to be divided into two groups.

Some people under the influence of Wahhabism-Saudi formed the group "Dawah" and did more missionary activity, others inspired by the Islamic Revolution of Iran called the group "Ummah" wanted to implement the Sharia law and establish an Islamic government in Nigeria.

This group did not consider itself a member of a particular organization and was only committed to the laws of Islam. People could become its members regardless of their gender, religion and ethnicity. They believed that a real Muslim cannot accept the secular system. Also, an Islamic movement should belong to all people, not a specific class

The leader of the movement

Ibrahim Zakzaky was one of the leaders of the Ummah group. After finishing high school, he entered Ahmad Blue University to study economics. He joined the association at the university and gradually became one of the active members and leaders of the association.

As the international vice president of the association, he traveled to different countries and met with Muslim leaders. During these trips, he met Imam Khomeini and in 1980, on the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he came to Iran and met with Imam Khomeini.

In this meeting, he fell in love with Imam Khomeini and converted to Shiism. But by adopting the strategy of Taqiyyah under the title of "Muslim Brotherhood", he started his  activities in universities and higher education centers in the north of this country.

Zakzaky criticized the political structure ruling Nigeria by giving a speech and showing videos and photos about the Islamic Revolution and was able to attract many young people from the cities of Zaria, Kano and Sokoto to his group.

The slogan of this group was "only Islam" and turning their backs on the constitution. They made their Shiism tendencies public in 1994, they changed their name from "Muslim Brotherhood" to "Islamic Movement of Nigeria". They performed religious rituals, especially prayers, based on Shia jurisprudence and celebrated religious occasions such as Ashura mourning and the birth of Hazrat Zahra (pbuh).

People's attention to the movement

Gradually, the movement in the form of a people's movement was noticed by different sections of the society, and by adopting a critical  positions towards the government, it gained significant popularity.

The chaotic economic conditions and poverty was another factor that encouraged the people of Nigeria, especially the young people in the north of this country, to join the Islamic Movement, which claimed to oppose the status quo and rebel against the disappointing conditions of their country.

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria is considered a pragmatic movement and in sociological classifications, it is considered among the transformational groups and movements whose goal is to create a comprehensive transformation in the society of which they are a part of that society. Zakzaky and his followers want to reform the political structures of this country and establish an Islamic government in Nigeria.

They consider the only solution to be the full implementation of Islam, which in turn requires a change in the political structure governing Nigeria and the establishment of an Islamic government in this country.

Although the Islamic movement does not emphasize much on its religious belief, it does not hide its political belief and openly promotes the idea of forming an Islamic government similar to what happened in Iran.

The goal of the movement

The formation of an Islamic structure and state, no less and no more.

Yaqoob Yahya Katsina says: "We do not recognize the federal government,it means state governments and also  other forms of power. We have made a revolution against them and there will be enmity between us and them until the day they return to God's book [Qur'an]."

Sharia law and its implementation is another issue that the Islamic movement is clarifying. Nigerian Muslims want the law and political structure governing their country to include Sharia and Islamic rules.

The discriminatory legal structure of anti-Islamic tendencies and the increase in the scope of crimes and moral corruption are among the reasons for the Sharia-seeking of Nigerian Muslims.

Among the nineteen Muslim states in northern Nigeria, Islamic Sharia laws are implemented in twelve states. Zamfara was the first state which implemented  these laws in 1999.

After this decision, states such as Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Borno-Jigawa, Kebbi and Yobe also recognized Sharia law. However, the government, while emphasizing the necessity of maintaining the constitution, accepted the existence of Sharia courts, as provided for in the 1978 constitution, to the extent of personal circumstances.

Opposition to the constitution

Zakzaky and his followers opposed the implementation of this law; because they believed that the full implementation of Sharia law is only possible in countries that have a completely Islamic government; He presents Iran as an example of such a country.

According to Zakzaky, the implementation of Sharia law in a country with a secular constitution becomes a tool for restriction and abuse.

Taking into account the impressive population of Christians and their political interests and their reaction to the political positions of the Islamic movement, Zakzaky believes that there is no reason for Christians to worry, and if a government based on Islam is established, Christians will find that his proposal is much better than the current situation.

The structure of the Nigerian Islamic Movement

The period of expansion of activity and influence of the Islamic Movement was from the mid-1990s onwards, because before this date, the activities of the Islamic Movement did not have a definite structure.

Sheikh Zakzaky and his companions tried to attract people to their newly formed group by preaching in mosques, holding conferences in scientific societies, and producing and reproducing cassette tapes of religious lectures.

The members of the movement organized marches to talk to various people about their mission and beliefs along the way.

With the expansion of the activity and influence of the Islamic Movement, with a regular structure, it expanded its scope of activity from Zaria to the cities of Kano and Katsina, where are  the largest Muslim cities in northern Nigeria.

He established the center of the Islamic Movement in Zaria, Kaduna State and placed Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky as the leader of the Movement at the head of this structure.

The Islamic Movement has two subcategories: Amiri organizations and proxy organizations and institutions that operate under this Movement. Zakzaky has representatives under the title of "Amir" in all 36 states of Nigeria, and each Amir has appointed a representative for himself in smaller cities. The emphasis of the Movement is that each of the Amirs should be elected from the natives of the states.

Reference:

Fa.Wikivahdat.com