Islam: The buried and untold stories

A conversation with Sheikh Abdulrrahman Ahmad, National Missioner, Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria (Part 4)

(This is the second report on the interview conducted with Sheikh Abdurrahman on May 2nd, 2021. For its entire recording, see https://fb.watch/5eN6-jkkUu/)

ISLAM is a peace-loving religion. The etymological definition of Islam in itself is peace. Yet, evil-loving, terror-wrecking politico-religious extremists have painted the Islamic faith in a bad light. Al Qaeda’s bombing of the Twin Towers in the United States in 2001 further dichotomized the already strained unification of Islam and the rest of the world. The issue is not with the religion, but we have to wait for the gradual reconciliation of the bombing victims with the adherents of a religion on whose tenets terrorists allegedly claimed their foundation was based. It has not been any easier in Nigeria, as the Boko Haram group has been wreaking havoc on the citizenry for years. It is difficult to convince people not to feel awry towards a religion, peaceful as it may seem to Muslims, if their families have been adversely affected by the atrocities of a terrorist group that allegedly attributes all its actions to Islam. It cannot be easy to maintain a good perception of an institution if some have bastardized it. 

On the backdrop of the widespread disdain for and unwelcome reactions toward Islam and Islam-related claims—one of the most recent being the request for female schoolchildren to wear the hijab—Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad, the Chief Missioner for Ansar-Ud-Deen Society in Nigeria, granted the Toyin Falola Interviews team audience on May 2^nd, 2021. The Missioner spoke at length on a range of Islam-related topics, particularly on Islam and women, Islam and insecurity in Nigeria, and Islam and children’s education. The interview opened with an introduction of Sheikh Ahmad, a well-versed scholar in both Islamic and Western education. Sheikh Ahmad enjoyed a beautiful career stint as a journalist before fully switching to working with the Ansar-Ud-Deen.

More often than not, many see Islam in a bad light. This may not be their fault, given that politico-religious extremists always tie their evil deeds to the religion. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask ourselves what would most likely come to the mind of the average Nigerian at the mention of the word “Islam,” especially when the present situation of the country is considered. Almost everyone has his/her preconceptions and perceptions about Islam. But the real question is: has Islam in any way contributed to the development of society? Sheikh Ahmad took us on a journey of reflective realization to prove Islam’s immense contributions to world development and in various fields of human endeavors such as mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, and trigonometry, which can be traced back in time.

Interestingly, the Sheikh asserted that Islam’s contributions to the fields of human endeavor are well-documented and are not restricted to the oblivious past. For example, the widely-used numbering system can be considered one of Islam’s contributions to world development. Also, Islam is heavily invested in the financial world, creating viable systems for economic growth in different countries. The Islamic Alternative Finance has been a bulwark supporting economic and infrastructural development in Africa and the Middle East. However, one of the precepts of Islam is not to make unnecessary profits; therefore, the Islamic financial institution offers no-interest loans. In developing countries like Nigeria, a no-interest loan financial system will give room for financial inclusion, as the masses can access loans for their small- and medium-scale businesses, paying back only that which they borrowed, without any seemingly stressful interest. At the heart of infrastructural development and the scaling of small- and medium-scale enterprises is Islam, a religion whose precepts are favorable and help new and upcoming businesses thrive. The Sukuk Bond has also brought financial emancipation to many and inclusion for the financially ostracized.

During the expository and educative interview, the Sheikh explained “Zakat” and how to calculate it. It was also revealed that the annual contributions to Zakat are greater than what the world’s biggest philanthropists give. Given such worthy contributions to world development, one would expect for the stories of Islam’s contributions to be told. Why, then, do we not hear of these good deeds? Why are we limited to the news of Boko Haram’s havoc and the gory details and resulting strained relationships that 9/11 caused? This brings to mind the foreign media’s continual portrayal of Africa as an emaciated, always needy, suffering continent wasting away and still largely under-civilized. Where is the mainstream media when it is needed? Where are Islamic scholars? Why are they not projecting the message of Islam’s contributions to world development as a counter move to nullify the widespread misgivings about the religion?

According to Sheikh Ahmad, though modern Islamic scholars are not doing enough to tell the story of Islam’s contributions to world development, the stories are being told nevertheless. But the private ownership of mass media is one of the biggest factors affecting the dissemination of stories on Islam and its lofty contributions to global issues. The media is controlled; it is censored. Editors, owners, and stakeholders in media houses hold the key to what can and cannot be published, leading to some stories being swept under the carpet. In the end, it is no longer about telling the stories that matter; it is now about telling stories that they want the public to know while shrouding other stories in a bid to maintain world order through the regulation of shared knowledge. As a countermeasure, Islam-friendly media houses like Al-Jazeera have been created, and they are expected to propagate Islam’s contributions to global development. More so, the achievements and contributions of Islam to world development are widely published in books found in libraries worldwide.

I challenged Islamic scholars to take it upon themselves to change the world’s perception of Islam by uniting to proclaim the religion’s immense contributions to global growth. Sheikh Ahmad caught on to the challenge, as he animatedly disclosed that Islamic scholars are working on reorienting the world about the religion. The media, he said, is not talking about the attacks on Palestine by the Israeli government. He asserts that the media has shut its eyes against the bombing of religious folks who went to pray peacefully. Yet, the same media is quick to capitalize on the extremely bad eggs that use Islam as a façade for the atrocities they commit, and it swiftly infuses Islam or Muslims into the next Boko Haram attack.

In the end, it comes down to the maxim that if you do not tell your own story, others will tell it in a warped way, which would likely not be true. The clarion call has been made to Islamic scholars. Will they rise to the challenge?

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A conversation with Sheikh Abdulrrahman Ahmad, National Missioner, Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria (Part 5)

(This is the third report on the interview conducted with Sheikh Abdurrahman on May 2, 2021. For its entire recording, see https://fb.watch/5eN6-jkkUu/)

RELIGION is a sensitive topic worldwide, and discussions about religion, especially inter-religious talks, are always held with some words left out of the equation. Contrary to the overly cautious way religion is talked about, it plays a critical role in the day-to-day life of any society. Religions have been for as long as anyone can remember, and they do not seem to be leaving anytime soon. As edgy as some religious topics may seem, they must be discussed to get to the root cause of the topical issues and proffer solutions to them. It is expected that in the course of discussion and in trying to get to the root cause of some topical religious issues, some people’s ox will be gored.

In the Toyin Falola Interview with Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, the interviewers and interviewee did not shy away from exploring topical issues requiring attention. One of such topics is the role of women in Islam. They went further to discuss Islam and the education of children and Islam and extremism. There are lots of misguided perceptions about Islamism, and like all perceptions, they are based on the lack of substantial knowledge on what holds in Islam and the negative apparitions of some self-proclaimed Islamic terror groups. The lack of substantial knowledge and the refusal to launch discourses to know the truth are two of the chief reasons negative perceptions abound. Until we choose to have these seemingly inconvenient discourses, solutions might be far away from us.

Claims are widely held that Islam marginalizes women and that hefty restrictions are placed on their freedom of expression and being. How true are these claims? What does Islam say about women? What role does Islam spell out for women? These were implied questions that stemmed from Ms. Maryam Lemu’s series of questions drawn from what was obtainable during Prophet Muhammad’s era and what is happening now. One of the prominent perceptions among people is that Islam requires women to be subservient and silent observers of societal proceedings and deeds. Ms. Lemu quizzed to know where that ideology came from, seeing as women actively participated in the development of society during Prophet Muhammad’s time—as warriors, doctors, scholars, public speakers, and vocal career women.

Sheikh Ahmad’s response showed that Ms. Lemu was right in her claims about how Islam was in ages past. He confessed to being equally baffled about how Islam became known as a religion that considered women subservient folks and silent contributors to society. This tag, which has been given to Islam, seems to have stuck and edged itself into the thinking and belief of some Muslims. No one can tell if this mentality slowly spilled into Islam from general societal perceptions of men as the greater contributors to society. Sheikh Ahmad said Allah, the prophets, and his followers never commanded it. The Sheikh posited that the notion must have stemmed from the chauvinistic tendencies of overbearing cultures that came in contact with Islam during the spread of the religion. According to him, the change must have come due to the dynamic characteristic of some aspects of Islam.

Furthermore, the Sheikh said that relegating women to the background leaves us unproductive and backward. In many countries of the world, a large percentage of the workforce is women. Therefore, if we ask our women to take the backseat when it comes to sharing roles and tackling issues, we will have a drastically reduced number of people actively working, which would lead to reduced productivity. The Missioner firmly asserted that the claim and belief that women should not actively participate in community development did not stem from Islam and should not be tied to Islam. He further admonished that Muslims and non-Muslims alike should refrain from such primitive tendencies. Prof. Toyin Falola brought to the Sheikh’s notice some plans to seek and facilitate the foundation of a university for Muslim women. The professor talked about how he had earlier spoken to the idea of establishing a university for women. In response, Sheikh Ahmad said the idea of an Islamic-women university is welcome and a matter of necessity.

One other crucial role that women play in Islam is the education of children. This is not the formal school education, but the Islamic education of children–reading the Quran and writing in Arabic. Just as the family and its informal education serve as the child’s earliest socialization, the Muslim mother serves as her child’s earliest contact with the world of Islam. As is with the average family, the mother’s teachings do not hinder the child from pursuing further knowledge at an Islamic school. The Sheikh spoke of the critical role his mother played in his Islamic education. His mother introduced him to Islam before he proceeded to study at an Islamic school. His mother’s early lessons were instrumental to the Sheikh getting through the Quranic school and Islamiyya. The Sheikh did not step into a formal school of learning until he was 14 years old and fully grounded in Islamic education.

The first five years of a child’s life are believed to leave indelible marks on them, which is why they are called the formative years. The importance of the formative years and their influence on the child cannot be overlooked. During these formative years, Islamic children learn socialization from their mothers. This is only one of the many roles women play in Islam. Islam does not subjugate women; Islam does not see women as inferior. According to the Sheikh, Islam holds women to some moral standards in their dressing, in that a Muslim woman must cover herself fully from men who are not her immediate family members. Nonetheless, this Islamic doctrine does not subjugate, maltreat, ostracize, or discriminate against women.

In Nigeria, the process of Islamic pedagogy has always been a source of controversy. Many believe that the tutor’s teaching, especially when it comes to administering punishments, is harsh and needs reform. One thing that comes to mind about the average Islamic school is how learners should forget what they were taught or commit any other offenses common among children. Is this system of teaching widespread? What effects does this system have on children? Has it ever proven effective in helping children learn Arabic and the Quran? These are mind-boggling questions that could be implied from the question by Dr. Kole Odutola of the University of Florida as he sought to know Islam’s stance on children’s education.

Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad did not mince words in condemning the said Islamic style of pedagogy. He asserted that although popular in some communities, this known style is not the only way children are schooled Islamically. He sighted himself as an example–an Islamic scholar who was never beaten for once while learning about Islam and the Quran. He described the Islamic style of pedagogy, which imposes harsh punishments on students as wicked. In his words, “that way of educating children was wrong, it is still wrong, and it will ever be wrong. Most of the children who pass through that unfortunate system never learn much.” The Sheikh’s assertion that children who learn under duress and fear never learn much is backed by psychological science. Beating children distracts them from the learning goal and further compounds the problem. If you are in the process of teaching children a verse in the Quran and they are not getting it, the next thing is not to punish them. Beating the children would cause mental destabilization, making them forget the little they could recite before. Apart from causing mental destabilization, beating children during learning also makes them fearful of the teacher and the whip. Living in constant fear does something negative to the mind and development of students; it makes them lack confidence in themselves and their abilities.

The Sheikh explained that retribution is at the heart of this teaching style and that it is more of a societal problem where tutors want to discipline students the same way they were treated as students. It is a warped mentality of “we were beaten while learning, and look at how we turned out; so, we will beat you mercilessly too.” It brings to mind the near impossibility of excelling at many a Nigerian university lecturer’s courses and how this can be largely tied to the lecturer not scoring an “A” while also in school. Sheikh Ahmad said this teaching style is not Islam, seeing as Islam—meaning peace—is a religion that teaches kindness towards children. He further stated some effects of this teaching style, such as children losing interest in studying the Quran or taking out their anger and bitterness against the religion in itself.

Arabic is both a language of people and the language of Islam. The learning of a new language is not an easy process, as the learner has to get to grips with the grammar, language structure, pronunciation, tone, and style of the language being learned. The motivation to learn a new language is often absent, as the learner cannot tie the new language to an immediate need in their lives. There is also the case of the complexities of the language being learned, as compared to the acquired language, which may make a learner believe that Arabic is hard and English is simple, whereas the reverse is the case, but because the learner acquired English and did not have to learn the ropes expressly, they believe the one is easier to learn by the other. Furthermore, students’ language aptitude—the capacity to learn a new language—varies. Therefore, teaching two learners of different aptitudes at the same pace and expecting the same level of delivery from them is catastrophic. These essential things are not considered at those Quranic schools where children are mercilessly beaten for their inability to learn the Quran as fast as the tutor wishes. Sheikh Ahmad asserted the need to create a conducive learning environment for children to learn the Quran. He sympathized with the children subjected to, as he described it, the cruelty that is obtainable in some Quranic schools. He, however, assured and doused doubts that there are many Quranic schools where, just like the one he attended, learners are taught with kindness and given the room to grow and learn.