THE NEW MEDIA PROPAGANDA WAR AGAINST THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT WON’T SUCCEED
In the aftermath of the genocidal attack on the Islamic Movement in Zaria by the Nigerian army we have witnessed a series of media propaganda attack orchestrated by those behind the military attack. The first one being the video released by the army trying to assert that the army’s chief of staff convoy was stopped on a highway. Not satisfied with that edited and fabricated video they released they widened the media frontier and drag NTA into airing a commercial trying to paint the Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization.
Not long after that, write ups, advertorials casting the Islamic Movement and its Leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in bad light, began springing up in various national newspapers.
And now recently some organizations, who were hitherto unknown to the general public started springing up, with one claiming it is fighting Iranian hegemony into Nigerian territory via the IslamicMovement; with another one early this week calling itself Nigerians United Against Extremism claiming “Shiites are mere common criminals.”
We will not like to join issues with the foot soldiers of those hell bent on wiping out the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, but rather with their local and international sponsors. First they should know that it is too late for them to paint the IslamicMovement as extremists, violent and a threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria, simply because we are not anonymous. We are well known in our communities as peaceful law abiding citizens of this country of our birth. In fact our leader has a letter of commendation from Kaduna state government as a harbinger of peace in the state and the nation in general. Even when he was incarcerated by the late military dictator Gen. Abacha, a court of law discharge and acquitted him of all the charges brought against him in 1998. These latter day activists are just turning themselves into laughing stock before the public.
Secondly it is rather absurd for the faceless sponsors of those articles and organizations against the Islamic Movement to think that they can succeed in portraying us as enemies of our Christian brothers. We believe that the real Christians with whom we live peacefully in our communities know that we not only extend our hand of friendship to them, but do protect them from communal strife in the past.
And indeed the Islamic Movement will forever be grateful to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), other Christian organizations too numerous to mention here and also Igbo societal groups for the condolence messages they sent to us after the vicious attack by the army upon armless members of the Islamic movement.
Related: Picture of Kaduna Pastor Buru With Shia Muslims Who Guarded Church, Worshiped Together Christmas Day
The recent revelation made by the news website called NewsRescue.com that its reporter has been approached with a ‘kola’ of N12,000 to cover that show of shame displayed by the group Nigerians United Against Extremism in Lagos, is a pointer to the fact that these so called groups against Shia are mere hired thugs devoid of any sense of humanity with them. We appeal to these foot soldiers not to sell their conscience for mere pittance, because Christianity and Islam both teach the belief in the hereafter where all will be accountable before God the creator of the universe.
We will like to once again re-state our commitment to following all peaceful avenues in seeing that justice is done to the Islamic Movement in the face of the unwarranted killing of its defenseless 1000+ members in the most gruesome manner.
SIGNED BY
IBRAHIM MUSA
PRESIDENT MEDIA FORUM OF THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT
0805 078 6093
10/03/16