by: Kamoru Sodiq, Osun
Fellow Brethren, let me quickly say that right now in OAU, things are going horrible and the environment is not friendly at all, on all fronts. The faces of Muslims are not smiling nor joking. I believe we can continue to set our roofs on fire but we still belong to one another. Whether we like it or not, we may deny a Muslim but we cannot deny Islam and that is what connects and unites us together. Even though, in our collective wisdom or stupidity we may choose to be celebrating our disunity and differences before the whole world. Islam is one whether you are Salafi or Sufi. The rope of Allah is one and it is either you belong to it or you belong to other ropes, no middle position. I always say this to myself “how come Islam and Muslims are not compatible?” I am yet to find an answer to that conundrum.

I wish I could fashion out few guesses. One is that Islam is divine while Muslims are mortal. Divinity is infallible but humans are not only fallible but gullible. We are what we think is right or wrong no matter how ugly and absurd it might sound to others. We are product of our background and exposure. As a matter of factly, we must bear in mind that two major phenomenon, nature and nurture are not the same thing. Nature has endowed man with reasoning and mind but nurture determines how aptly and logically he applies it. I believe this is one area the family and society institutions have failed us as integral and indispensable agent of socialization. The nurturing handing down by family and society to the young ones is not palatable. In fact, it has destroyed all our hardearned heritage and pride.

I don’t know what our youths read these days but I believe they are not reading the right things. I don’t know how they reason when they are alone inside their rooms but I believe, their reasoning and thought, particularly our people here, is not progressive. I maybe right or wrong, I believe that in any clime, whether corrupt or sane, the youths are the agents of change and reformation. And the reason is simple. They represent the time to come and that is why they are powerful and automatic tools to build or burn any society. Tell them what they want to hear, like a magic with its weird disposition, they will start dancing and falling over themselves for you. Look around your immediate society and the global community at large and try to figure out the brains behind every attacks, clashings, bombings and unrests enveloping everywhere today, they are youths in their early twenties, thirties and in some cases forties. Shame!

In all for all, the situation in the Muslim ummah today is not an exception. They are behind every named calling, division and disrespect to elders and scholars. I may not have a detailed picture of what obtains everywhere but I’m mostly and adequately exposed and awared of what is going on here with us in OAU campus. I have read and heard many things in recent time about the celebrated fracas we are witnessing here among ourselves. I have seen and observed the role being displayed by various major players in this debacle. I must say without any equivocation that, I’m not proud of our people (youth) here and their infantile antics. Let me establish that, I’m not a fan to any parties concerned, but I believe, our Awo brothers as they are fondly called cannot take us out of this show of shame.

I want to propose and move the motion that the Salafi or Awo brothers, as the case maybe should not represent our generation and interest if genuine solution and reconciliation is what we are yearning for. I don’t think Islam is going anywhere on this campus looking at their dawah template. I’m not sure what their vision and projection of Islam in OAU is in some ten or twenty years to come when they would have become Abu and Ummu in their various homes. I don’t actually believe they want to send their children to this same campus to come and study and probably learn pristine Islam as they usually called it. Though, they want us believe that they are protecting and defending the sunnah but in my opinion, they are not serving sunnah at all. Because if you say you posses something then, we must see it in you.

I don’t understand really what definition is given to sunnah by our people here, but if disrespect to elders, abuse and sauciness is sunnah, then I want to be an anti-sunnah. I can’t accept a reasonable father can deny his child and wish him suffering and bleeding to death. Any elder that wants to shortchange the young ones is shortchanging himself and his future suo motto. Life is relative the same way respect is reciprocal. No youth can succeed or survive without the elders. It is that underlining principle we must continue to pursue in all our affairs, spiritually or worldly as youths. It is to youth to respect the elders and it is to the elders to embrace their young ones. I know some people may well conclude that this guy is working for certain interest or people, far from it, I’m only heartily concerned about the collateral damage to true and productive community.

Our community as Muslims on campus is in what I will like to call the theater of absurd where the good, the bad and the ugly are at loggerheards fighting hard for supremacy and relevancy. I don’t believe this is such a community we want for ourselves and the generation to come pronto. I doubt if there is any serious Muslim who feels the current situation in our community is a blessing. The time has come to stem out the dangerous level of mistrust and distrust dissing OAU Muslim community. For decades, Muslims have been on a running battle against one another and no one knows when the harvest time would come and the yield it would bring to all parties concerned in the imbroglio. Mark my word once again, I’m not here to dignify or denigrate anybody or party by recounting their claims and counter claims and all that at all.

The social media has been agog with all kinds of innuendos, flip-flops and conspiracy theories already. So, I will not want to go into details and facts as I believe you all know about the intrigues of power than me. But my singular concern and message from where I stand is that, the youths should go and sin no more. For our community to grow and flourish, we need youths who are highly cerebral, relatively diplomatic and innovative. Who will understand our situation and plan for our vission. We need eagles who can fly and take us all out of this unending mess. It can be done and it should be done. I believe in youth in bringing the long overdue renaissance and making our community great again. As it stands now, this is not the case.

It shall be well with our community and the devil shall be shamed!
by: Kamoru Sodiq; kamorusideeq@gmail.com

24/02/2017.

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