However, that embargo was overturned by delegates after a
rousing and electrifying speech by a delegate representing the Supreme Council
for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Nurudeen Lemu from Niger State
His speech got a standing ovation and thunderous round of
applause. The transcript of his speech that Set Delegates on fire
Alh. Nurudeen Lemu,
a delegate from the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs
As a delegate, and
as a people representing people of faith in God from the Islamic perspective,
one thing we believe is that God will protect the community that stands for
justice even if they are not Muslims and God will not protect the community
that goes contrary to justice even if they call themselves Muslims.
God is not a
religious bigot. He is not a male chauvinist. He is not an ethnocentric
tribalist. God is not the oppressor of anyone. God is with those who care;
those who want for others those things they want for themselves.
One tendency for
people who claim to follow a religion is to slide into the position of
believing that we are better than the others. We overestimate our virtues and
underestimate the goodness in others. The tendency is for us to become
spiritually arrogant; to forget that others are people like us.
There is always a
tension between representing our religious communities or our ethnic
communities and our loyalty to the virtues and values and teachings of our
religion even those lofty ideals of our ethnic groups.
