I done tire for Religious fight! MAKE WE YARN via @nfsqueezed Read|Share|RT
(((I done tire for fight! MAKE WE YARN)))
I done struggle with wetin I wan talk now for
some days. The question na whether make I
yarn about am or make I bone and yarn another
thing. Eventually, I decide say I go yarn about
am. Afterall, this na matter of life and death.
Since I small until now, I no fit begin count the
number of times wey yawa done gas for
Northern Nigeria because of religious issues and
nobody fit count the number of people wey done
die from these problems. Almost every year, we
dey get this kind wahala. Sometimes na big
ones wey dey cover the whole North and other
times e fit be small one just for one town or one
state. E done almost turn to normal thing. But,
my friends, nothing normal about wetin dey kill
people o! Nothing normal about am at all!
Many things dey worry me about our general
attitude to these religious wahala dem wey we
dey get. I go just talk about the two wey dey
worry me pass.
1. To Stereotype and Generalise
With many other issues for our country, we dey
come out and show our prejudice and our
stereotypes in the open. E no dey cause fight.
With religious matter, na different thing. But
because we no dey come out openly as Muslims
and talk bad about Christians or come out
openly as Christians and talk bad about Muslims
no mean say we no dey talk.
When we dey for our house, or with friends of
the same religion, we dey talk any kind rubbish
wey enter our head. If a mad man from
Denmark, draw cartoon wey insult the Prophet
Mohammed (SAW) then the mad man must be
Christian. E no matter say you never see the
cartoon and say this mad man fit never enter
church all him life. As a result, all Christians
hate Muslims and dey evil! If some criminals
wey say dem be Muslims decide to bomb a
church for Jos, e must be religious war and all
Muslims na blood-loving vampires. E no really
matter say even though these criminals never
attack mosque yet, a lot of the people wey dem
done kill for their other attacks na Muslims.
E no dey hard us to just generalize. When we do
this kind thing, we dey forget those our good
friends, classmates, neighbours and colleagues
wey never ever do anything to harm us before,
yet dem be of a different religion.
2. To Form Ostrich
The ostrich na interesting animal. Sometimes
when e see say danger dey come, e go run
small and bury him head for sand. The idea be
say as e bury him head for sand, e no dey see
the enemy wey wan lem am, therefore the
enemy no dey see am too. This, my people, na
mumu wey done ripe! And this na the attitude
wey we done adopt when e come to religious
matter for this country.
Since wey I grow up to sabi something for this
country, na wetin I done notice be this.
Everytime we get this kind problem, nobody dey
actually wan engage people of other religions
for yarning. Christians go dey discuss with
Christians and Muslims go dey discuss with
Muslims. Anytime the gist na between Christian
and Muslim, then we go so ‘insulate’ the gist
because we dey fear to yarn the wrong thing. At
the end we no dey discuss anything wey dey
really get any impact.
During the Danish cartoon wahala, I been dey
live for Northern Nigeria and for my big house,
we get both Christians and Muslims. Fear, been
dey catch us Christians for wetin fit happen to
us, but dat na different matter. The thing wey I
notice be say even in the middle of this very
serious crisis, the Christians and Muslims wey
done dey live together as friends, cook, eat and
drink together, play football together and chase
babes together no fit actually siddon and
discuss the issue. While dem dey kill people for
other Northern Nigerian cities and we dey hear
the news every day, we still dey fear to discuss
am between ourselves, make e no be say we
come offend the other person. Dat na the ripe
mumu I dey talk about. And na wetin done dey
happen everywhere for this country for many
years.
The question wey we go ask the ostrich na,
because e hide head inside sand and e no see
the lion wey wan come chop am mean say the
lion no go chop am again? The same question
na him we suppose answer for this country. All
this time wey we no dey gree discuss this very
important wahala wey we get, e done stop the
wahala from coming again and again and again?
E done stop people from dying? Our own na case
where even problems wey no start for this
country fit result in the death of many people for
here. At the end, more people go even die for
here than for where the problem actually start!
Where We Suppose Dey Go
While the whole North Africa, the Middle East,
Nigeria and Sudan dey boil because of the film
wey somebody make, wey insult Prophet
Mohammed (SAW), Twitter been dey also boil
for Nigeria. People dey discuss am and
everybody dey talk how him sense reach.
Some of the talk dey show how ignorant people
dey – both Christians and Muslims – about the
other religion. And dat kind of ignorance dey
just lead to some general statements wey no
just dey wrong but dangerous! This kind of
generalization need to change. If somebody
from your village go prison because e thief, e
make your village thief people village? Why if
one Christian/Muslim talk something e go come
be say all Christians/Muslims be like dat? Dat
kind of lazy thinking no dey help us.
During all this talk, some people no dey talk at
all too and some people dey advise say make
people no talk again. Me, I be one of the people
wey follow talk, and I go continue to talk.
Because, since we already know say our ‘no-
talk’ policy never really stop bad things wey dey
happen, why we go continue to dey close
mouth? E no make sense to me.
Remember say for our country we done gum
together with our different tribes and religions,
and na so we go dey. If we go live together, then
we need to find a way to understand and respect
each other and live in peace. We need to begin
to protect ourselves from the foolishness of
people wey no get our interest as Nigerians for
their mind. Make we begin yarn. Make we begin
engage each other. Make Muslims being engage
Christians and vice versa. Make we discuss,
argue, disagree with our mouths (not with
knuckles and weapons) and finally reach a point
of understanding and tolerance wey go lead to
peace and harmony.
When we, the few wey get access to education
and exposure, begin to understand say we no
need to dey fight and kill, no matter the
provocation (whether na by people we no even
be Nigerians or by Nigerians), then true true we
go dey on the road to change. Then we need to
take this message to our families and friends;
our churches and mosques; our pastors and
imams; to the people wey no go school and
people wey eye never open.
Very importantly, we need the government to
come in and do their work. First of all,
government get to stop these killings and
destruction wey dey happen anytime religious
wahala come up. Make government no wait until
people done die and property done loss before
dem begin to condemn the killings and
sympathize with the families of victims and
people wey done lose property.
Lastly, from history, we know say no matter
how good our mind dey, e go get some wicked
people wey go still want to go out and spoil
everything wey we dey work for. That na where
the law suppose to come in. Like most European
countries done do, e done reach time to
introduce Anti-Hate and Incitement laws. Dat
way anybody wey use him position as politician,
pastor or imam to preach hate to him listeners/
readers/congregation or encourage dem to go
out to kill and destroy go done commit crime
and suppose face the law. Anybody (even if no
be political or religious leader) wey come out for
public (even for internet) begin encourage hate
or violence against a group of people, whether
na based on tribe or religion go done commit
crime too and suppose face the law.
Conclusion
We no fit continue to dey do the same things
and expect say the results go change. We need
to begin do things differently if we go solve
some of these problems wey we get. The time
to begin do things differently na now. Country
people, make we yarn.
Jonas Dogara Wrote this beautiful Post
Follow him on Twitter @nfsqueezed
www.notfreshlysqueezed.blogspot.com/?m=1:
I done struggle with wetin I wan talk now for
some days. The question na whether make I
yarn about am or make I bone and yarn another
thing. Eventually, I decide say I go yarn about
am. Afterall, this na matter of life and death.
Since I small until now, I no fit begin count the
number of times wey yawa done gas for
Northern Nigeria because of religious issues and
nobody fit count the number of people wey done
die from these problems. Almost every year, we
dey get this kind wahala. Sometimes na big
ones wey dey cover the whole North and other
times e fit be small one just for one town or one
state. E done almost turn to normal thing. But,
my friends, nothing normal about wetin dey kill
people o! Nothing normal about am at all!
Many things dey worry me about our general
attitude to these religious wahala dem wey we
dey get. I go just talk about the two wey dey
worry me pass.
1. To Stereotype and Generalise
With many other issues for our country, we dey
come out and show our prejudice and our
stereotypes in the open. E no dey cause fight.
With religious matter, na different thing. But
because we no dey come out openly as Muslims
and talk bad about Christians or come out
openly as Christians and talk bad about Muslims
no mean say we no dey talk.
When we dey for our house, or with friends of
the same religion, we dey talk any kind rubbish
wey enter our head. If a mad man from
Denmark, draw cartoon wey insult the Prophet
Mohammed (SAW) then the mad man must be
Christian. E no matter say you never see the
cartoon and say this mad man fit never enter
church all him life. As a result, all Christians
hate Muslims and dey evil! If some criminals
wey say dem be Muslims decide to bomb a
church for Jos, e must be religious war and all
Muslims na blood-loving vampires. E no really
matter say even though these criminals never
attack mosque yet, a lot of the people wey dem
done kill for their other attacks na Muslims.
E no dey hard us to just generalize. When we do
this kind thing, we dey forget those our good
friends, classmates, neighbours and colleagues
wey never ever do anything to harm us before,
yet dem be of a different religion.
2. To Form Ostrich
The ostrich na interesting animal. Sometimes
when e see say danger dey come, e go run
small and bury him head for sand. The idea be
say as e bury him head for sand, e no dey see
the enemy wey wan lem am, therefore the
enemy no dey see am too. This, my people, na
mumu wey done ripe! And this na the attitude
wey we done adopt when e come to religious
matter for this country.
Since wey I grow up to sabi something for this
country, na wetin I done notice be this.
Everytime we get this kind problem, nobody dey
actually wan engage people of other religions
for yarning. Christians go dey discuss with
Christians and Muslims go dey discuss with
Muslims. Anytime the gist na between Christian
and Muslim, then we go so ‘insulate’ the gist
because we dey fear to yarn the wrong thing. At
the end we no dey discuss anything wey dey
really get any impact.
During the Danish cartoon wahala, I been dey
live for Northern Nigeria and for my big house,
we get both Christians and Muslims. Fear, been
dey catch us Christians for wetin fit happen to
us, but dat na different matter. The thing wey I
notice be say even in the middle of this very
serious crisis, the Christians and Muslims wey
done dey live together as friends, cook, eat and
drink together, play football together and chase
babes together no fit actually siddon and
discuss the issue. While dem dey kill people for
other Northern Nigerian cities and we dey hear
the news every day, we still dey fear to discuss
am between ourselves, make e no be say we
come offend the other person. Dat na the ripe
mumu I dey talk about. And na wetin done dey
happen everywhere for this country for many
years.
The question wey we go ask the ostrich na,
because e hide head inside sand and e no see
the lion wey wan come chop am mean say the
lion no go chop am again? The same question
na him we suppose answer for this country. All
this time wey we no dey gree discuss this very
important wahala wey we get, e done stop the
wahala from coming again and again and again?
E done stop people from dying? Our own na case
where even problems wey no start for this
country fit result in the death of many people for
here. At the end, more people go even die for
here than for where the problem actually start!
Where We Suppose Dey Go
While the whole North Africa, the Middle East,
Nigeria and Sudan dey boil because of the film
wey somebody make, wey insult Prophet
Mohammed (SAW), Twitter been dey also boil
for Nigeria. People dey discuss am and
everybody dey talk how him sense reach.
Some of the talk dey show how ignorant people
dey – both Christians and Muslims – about the
other religion. And dat kind of ignorance dey
just lead to some general statements wey no
just dey wrong but dangerous! This kind of
generalization need to change. If somebody
from your village go prison because e thief, e
make your village thief people village? Why if
one Christian/Muslim talk something e go come
be say all Christians/Muslims be like dat? Dat
kind of lazy thinking no dey help us.
During all this talk, some people no dey talk at
all too and some people dey advise say make
people no talk again. Me, I be one of the people
wey follow talk, and I go continue to talk.
Because, since we already know say our ‘no-
talk’ policy never really stop bad things wey dey
happen, why we go continue to dey close
mouth? E no make sense to me.
Remember say for our country we done gum
together with our different tribes and religions,
and na so we go dey. If we go live together, then
we need to find a way to understand and respect
each other and live in peace. We need to begin
to protect ourselves from the foolishness of
people wey no get our interest as Nigerians for
their mind. Make we begin yarn. Make we begin
engage each other. Make Muslims being engage
Christians and vice versa. Make we discuss,
argue, disagree with our mouths (not with
knuckles and weapons) and finally reach a point
of understanding and tolerance wey go lead to
peace and harmony.
When we, the few wey get access to education
and exposure, begin to understand say we no
need to dey fight and kill, no matter the
provocation (whether na by people we no even
be Nigerians or by Nigerians), then true true we
go dey on the road to change. Then we need to
take this message to our families and friends;
our churches and mosques; our pastors and
imams; to the people wey no go school and
people wey eye never open.
Very importantly, we need the government to
come in and do their work. First of all,
government get to stop these killings and
destruction wey dey happen anytime religious
wahala come up. Make government no wait until
people done die and property done loss before
dem begin to condemn the killings and
sympathize with the families of victims and
people wey done lose property.
Lastly, from history, we know say no matter
how good our mind dey, e go get some wicked
people wey go still want to go out and spoil
everything wey we dey work for. That na where
the law suppose to come in. Like most European
countries done do, e done reach time to
introduce Anti-Hate and Incitement laws. Dat
way anybody wey use him position as politician,
pastor or imam to preach hate to him listeners/
readers/congregation or encourage dem to go
out to kill and destroy go done commit crime
and suppose face the law. Anybody (even if no
be political or religious leader) wey come out for
public (even for internet) begin encourage hate
or violence against a group of people, whether
na based on tribe or religion go done commit
crime too and suppose face the law.
Conclusion
We no fit continue to dey do the same things
and expect say the results go change. We need
to begin do things differently if we go solve
some of these problems wey we get. The time
to begin do things differently na now. Country
people, make we yarn.
Jonas Dogara Wrote this beautiful Post
Follow him on Twitter @nfsqueezed
www.notfreshlysqueezed.blogspot.com/?m=1:
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