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Recent discoveries of so-called Islamic rehabilitation centres found to be detention homes and torture centres’ in the country have been described as alien to the tenets of Islam.
In a chat with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, at the weekend, an Islamic cleric, and Director of Ali Institute for Qur’an Memorisation, Mallam Ali Abdussalam, said operators of the centres were people of questionable characters and do not represent Islam in any way.
Abdussalam who spoke during the maiden graduation ceremony of Ali Institute for Qur’an Memorization (AIQM), Ibadan said the suspects should not be made to get away with their crimes, describing them as dubious, inhuman and evil.
Mallam Abdussalam, who is a former President (Amir), Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), University of Ibadan, said the centres should not be compared to authentic Islamic institute established to breed young people who would affect the society positively in accordance with virtues taught in Islam.
His words: “If you observe those places that you just mentioned, you ask yourself, what kind of people established those places? They are people of questionable characters.
“And there is no way that you will be a teacher, when you have a wrong education. The students that you will teach will take after that wrong education. That is what caused Boko Haram. You will see that they are giving a wrong education.
“So, if you look at the kind of people that set up these places, they are people of questionable characters, they are actually dubious. They don’t have Islam in mind and they don’t love Islam. They are not there to assist Islam and Muslims, they are just there to make money for their own personal gains and their own personal pleasures. So obviously their actions are very far away from what Islam says.
“The mission I have is to assist the youths of today especially the Muslims to understand the basic tenets of Islam while not affecting their Western education pursuit. They can even come after primary school, secondary school or after JSS 3. So far, we have trained over 400 students and these are from different states, Rivers, Kano, Abuja Osun, Lagos among others”
Mallam Abdusalam said beyond teaching the students how to recite Qur’an, the institute instills moral values that will make the children good members of the society.
The guest lecturer, Ustaz Rashid Adekunle Hazim while speaking cautioned the graduands against engaging in anti social behaviours, and to hold the Quran as their book of guidance.
“The government should treat Al-Qur’an memorizers as graduates” he urged. “The government should employ them. They should allow teaching of Al-Qur’an in public schools so that Muslim students woukd understand their religion and consequently benefit the society.”
Also present at the event were the Zambian-based scholar, Sheikh Murtadha Imran, Dawud Zubayr Ajide; Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in charge of Ogun State, Professor AbdulGaniy Raji; Head of Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, Professor Luqman Akinbile, Sheikh and Engineer Sikiru Ganiu Olakunle, among others.