{"id":38658,"date":"2021-01-07T08:29:33","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T08:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658"},"modified":"2021-01-07T08:29:37","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T08:29:37","slug":"sultan-led-jni-flays-bishop-kukah-over-christmas-message-says-he-targeted-islam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658","title":{"rendered":"Sultan-led JNI flays Bishop Kukah over Christmas message, says he targeted Islam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Jama\u2019atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, has flayed the Christmas message by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, where he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism, saying the message was an attack on Islam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a press statement signed by JNI\u2019s Secretary General, Dr Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, on Wednesday, January 6, in Kaduna, titled \u2018Press release on Reverend Kukah\u2019s Christmas homily,\u2019 the organization described Bishop Kukah\u2019s message as \u201cirresponsible and seditious and targeted at Islam with the aim of denigrating the religion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apex Islamic organization added that Kukah\u2019s homily was a \u201cpoisoned arrow fired at the heart of Islam and Muslims across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThough the message is disguised as a political hogwash to deceive the innocent, there is no doubt that it was a poisoned arrow fired at the heart of Islam and Muslims in Nigeria, hence the need for this intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bishop\u2019s statement was a prepared address considering the occasion and the audience; one cannot but agree that it was a calculated attempt to insult Islam which is typical of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis veiled insinuation that Muslims have a pool of violence to draw from is disgusting, disheartening, as well as condemnable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResponsibly, Christmas homilies should come with messages of hope, unity, mercy, forgiveness of the Supreme Being and resilience through prayers, especially in this trying time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bishop\u2019s message was, however, a clear deviation from the well-established norm across the globe. Kukah is the Bishop of the Sokoto diocese located at the seat of the Caliphate and the heart of Islam and Islamic scholarship, culture, and practices in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the status of Sokoto to the Muslims<\/a> and Islamic history, Bishop Kukah was warmly welcomed, accepted, accommodated, and accorded respect deserving of his position as a religious leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAcross the length and breadth of Northern Nigeria, Kukah has friends and associates among the Muslim society. Without fear of any contradiction, he is most the accepted and accommodated Christian clergy to the leaders of the Muslims in the north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey accorded him all the support he needed, despite some reservations from some quarters about his tendencies to bite the fingers that feed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the liberality, congeniality, and the camaraderie extended to Bishop Kukah in Sokoto and all over the Muslim north, he throws all sense of decorum and common sense to the wind and fired invective and salvos on the Muslims and Islam without any justification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy this and his several similar inane attacks against Islam and the Muslims, the Bishop has lost the friendship and the hospitality of the entire Muslim populace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can the Muslims ever trust a man who smiles at their faces in the day and hold a dagger against them in the night? How can the Muslims continue to be hospitable to the one who proves to be an ingrate many times over? How can the Muslims be comfortable in associating with a bitterly vindictive person disguised in the garb of religious clergy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bishop cannot pretend to be attacking President Buhari and end up punching Islam and the Muslims. We will never accept to be used as a punching bag of the vindictive Bishop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is mind-boggling to imagine why Bishop Kukah is always keen on pushing at the national fault lines; religion, tribe, and north-south divide. His fiery and equally violent inciting speech at the burial of the late Governor Yakowa of Kaduna State is still fresh in our memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Priest, especially the Catholic Priest and indeed the High Priest as the Bishop represents is an eternal conciliator and reconciliation. A messenger of peace. His words must always portray to engender love, peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Priest must always be seen to be on the side of the truth, never to take sides, except to side with the downtrodden, weak, and helpless. He must speak truth to power just like Christ did, but must not play to the gallery or be tempted to become populist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBishop Kukah<\/a> should not take Muslims kindness for timidity or foolishness. In being accommodative and kind, the Muslims are adhering to the teaching of the Glorious Quran that even in times of war, the Muslims should offer assistance to those who seek their protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muslims\u2019 kind nature should not be taken for granted, because our Prophet (Peace be upon him) has warned that a Muslim should not allow himself to be ridiculed where he said believer should not be stung twice in the same hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKukah and his likes who enjoy the pleasure of denigrating Islam and Muslims at any slightest opportunity should have lowered their guards, to have some peace of mind because the spark which Islam kindles can never be extinguished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAuthorities more ferocious, more organized, and more persistent than Kukah, have all tried to denigrate Islam but alas Islam and Muslims have remained consistently triumphant.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Jama\u2019atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, has flayed the Christmas message by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, where he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism, saying the message was an attack on Islam. In a press statement signed by JNI\u2019s Secretary General, Dr […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSultan-led JNI flays Bishop Kukah over Christmas message, says he targeted Islam » WatchDog Plus Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odofin\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Religion\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=7\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Sultan-led JNI flays Bishop Kukah over Christmas message, says he targeted Islam\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sultan-led JNI flays Bishop Kukah over Christmas message, says he targeted Islam » WatchDog Plus Media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658","author":"Odofin","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=38658#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Religion","item":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=7"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Sultan-led JNI flays Bishop Kukah over Christmas message, says he targeted Islam"}]}]}},"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Odofin","author_link":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?author=2"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Religion<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The Jama\u2019atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, has flayed the Christmas message by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, where he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism, saying the message was an attack on Islam. In a press statement signed by JNI\u2019s Secretary General, Dr…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38658"}],"version-history":[{"count":-4,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38658\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}