Source of info: CNN
Jos, Nigeria (CNN) — A string of bombs struck churches in five Nigerian cities Sunday, leaving dozens dead and wounded on the holiday, authorities and witnesses said.
The blasts mark the second holiday season that bombs have hit Christian houses of worship in the west African nation. In a statement issued late Tuesday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan called the bombings “a dastardly act that must attract the rebuke of all peace-loving Nigerians.”
“These acts of violence against innocent citizens are an unwarranted affront on our collective safety and freedom,” Jonathan said. “Nigerians must stand as one to condemn them.”
Bombs targeted churches across the country, hitting the cities of Madalla, Jos, Kano, and Damaturu and Gadaka, said journalist Hassan John, who witnessed the carnage in Jos. The death toll in Madalla alone was 16, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib told CNN.
Some times Muslims are accused that they do not protest sufficiently when so-called ‘Islamists’ perform such terror attacks. OK, they have a point. But the reasons for not protesting each and every such attack are many. First of all we do not really feel that it has anything to do with us, because, of course, terror is the farthest from our own minds. Secondly however also ‘what can we say’ (again and again). These attacks are so stupid, so in-understandable, that we really lack words. How can any sane person even think of attacking unarmed civilians and worshipers at that?
Condemnation with Harshest words. Lets pray for departed souls too. May Allah(swt) make lives of survivors easy for them. Aamen
Quoting from Malta Star:
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=18814
Nigeria: Islamic Scholars Condemn Christmas Day Bombings
http://allafrica.com/stories/201112260317.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/201112270141.html
Islamic scholars in Kano on Monday, described the attacks as “inhuman and wicked”. Sheik Muhammad Isa described the attack as “unfortunate and heartless,” adding that that no worshipper should be attacked at a place of worship especially on holy days.
Sheikh Usman Saif, another cleric, said God would not spare the bombers “for using a religious period to shed blood and upset people.”
“How can a person or a group of people, who believe in God, hunt people at such a period when people were praying to their God?”
A female scholar, Ummah Abdul, also condemned the attack, and urged Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper in order to achieve lasting peace and stability in the country.
The umbrella Islamic body for Muslims in the North, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), yesterday condemned the bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State and another church in Jos, Plateau State, saying it is not in a religious war against Christians. Both incidents claimed the lives of over 40 persons. Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, while reacting to the bombings in a telephone interview with THISDAY, said Islam, as a religion, respects human lives and would do everything to preserve it. “Human lives must be preserved and protected by all including security agencies; it is rather unfortunate that Nigerians are losing their lives to bomb blasts,” Aliyu said.
In his reaction, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who joined other Muslims in voicing condemnation against Boko Haram, said taking of human lives in the name of religion was strange in Islam. He said Islam abhorred violence and called for unity among Muslims to address the challenges facing them.
“Violence is not part of the tenets of Islam and would never be allowed to tarnish the image of the religion,” the sultan said.
Chastising Boko Haram, another Islamic group, Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), said “cold blooded murder of innocent worshippers” was “horrifying and sickening”.
“On this occasion and in similar incidents, Nigerian Muslims and Muslims everywhere stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Christian brothers and sisters and we are determined to continue to work together to remove the mischief of those seeking to destroy peaceful co-existence and harmony. We feel the sorrow and share the grief of all that were affected by this tragedy – this evil attack is a crime committed against mankind,” MPAC added
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) said it is “shocked and petrified by this development”.
He said: “The attackers cannot claim that they were revenging the attack on Muslims in Jos during the last Eid el-Fitr on August 30, 2011 which left many Muslims dead because Christians celebrating Christmas earlier on December 25, 2010 were the first to be killed in bomb explosions.
“Nothing in the scriptures of Islam justifies this kind of attack. We therefore assert clearly, unequivocally and unambiguously that Boko Haram is not fighting for Nigerian Muslims.”
Chairman of the Sokoto State chapter of Izalat Bida’a Waikamtul Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Abubakar Usman Mabera, said the killing of innocent citizens, under any guise, is a case of murder and in contrast to Islamic teachings. Mabera, who frowned on the act, said: “Almighty Allah forbids the killing of a fellow human being. Whoever thinks that he is carrying out Jihad by destroying places of worship and killing innocent citizens is ignorant of Islam because the religion forbids that.”
The Muslim Congress, another muslim group whose Amir Mallam Abdulraheem Lukman, said in a statement that: “The endemic killings can best be described as inhuman, wicked, condemnable and totally unacceptable in civilised societies.
Ahmadiyya Malta condemns attacks on churches in Nigeria
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111226/local/ahmadiyya-condemns-attacks-on-churches-in-nigeria.399904
“The Ahmadiyya Community condemns the attack in strongest terms, and demands the authorities to bring the culprits in front of justice as soon as possible.” The community said that, in this age, when certain powers, organisations and ideologies were engaged in destroying peace and when ill-feelings against each other were being sparked unnecessarily, the objective of caring for the sentiments of each other, respecting other faiths, showing mutual tolerance and harmony and interreligious cooperation was all the more important.
“The head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community calls all the people to exhibit their kindness to one-another, to show love and affection and for renewing ties of brotherhood and kinship so that peace in the best possible manner can be established in our societies.” The community expressed its condolences to the victims’ families and prayed for the health of those injured in the attack.
Muslims Must Stand Up Against the Horrific Attacks Against Christians in Nigeria
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/imam-mohamed-magid/muslims-stand-up-against-nigeria-anti-christian-violence_b_1171584.html
Nigerian Muslim group condemns Christmas bomb attacks
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/29/c_131334260.htm
World Muslims Condemn Nigeria Attacks
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/455135-world-muslims-condemn-nigeria-attacks.html
The World’s Muslims Unite in Condemning the Christmas Day Bombings in Nigeria
http://islamtoday.com/artshow-233-4295.htm