CHALLENGES OF ISLAM TO CHRISTIANITY IN YORUBA LAND

ALLEN T. OLATUNDE

OCTOBER 2011

Introduction

Religious freedom is guaranteed by the constitution, and Muslims and Christians live and work together, although there is continuing conflict between the two groups and between them and adherents of traditional religions. The greatest concentration of Muslims is in the northern states; there, three-fourths of the people profess the religion of Islam, which also is the dominant faith in a few of the southern states. Christians make up more than three-fourths of the population in the eastern states (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010). Islam in Yoruba land is a tool of development in Nigeria especially in South Western of the country. The developments are visibly noticed on both positive and negative. However, the negative challenges pose by this religion to other sect in the society will be examined. Islam is a religion of compulsory and obligation as the Holy Scripture says, sometimes, verbatim without analysis. In Yoruba land, Islam is highly grounded and the effect affected Christianity which had been before the existence of the leader. Islam in Yoruba land spread wildly in the area through high birth rate and wild, forceful and violent approach. Encyclopedia Britannica also adds that besides the jihād and Ṣūfī missionary activity, another factor in the spread of Islam was the far-ranging influence of Muslim traders (2010). Mostly places in the south were filled with Muslim through merchandise purposes.

Christianity came into Yoruba land around 19 century yet it met Islam on ground wildly spread like fiery fire.      Asiwaju notes also that Islam preceded Christianity by many decades and in its practice in the area, proved more tolerant of Yoruba traditions and beliefs. Externally at least, both Islam and Yoruba traditional beliefs had certain resemblances. Both accepted polygamy; both laid emphasis on ritual observances and incarnational prayers; and both possessed functionally identical divination systems (215).

The first phase of Christian missionary endeavor in Western Yoruba land occurred roughly during the four decades preceding the delimitation of the Dahomey-Nigeria boundary in the 1890s. This phase opened in 1851 when Mr. T. J. Bowen, the first Baptist Missionary in Yoruba land, visited Ketu The failure of this mission resulted mainly from the stiff opposition of the local Muslim community to any Christian establishment in the town (Bowen ch. xiii).

In Yoruba land when Islam challenges has not outgrown to great enmity, Christianity also grew side by side with Islam. Several factors can be identified as responsible for rapid growth of Christianity in Yoruba land, especially Lagos. Aggressive evangelism was a notable strategy for growth. Rev. James Johnson of the Anglican mission identified several strategies. Though the Muslim did not embrace the Christian schools much because of the fear of their conversion, yet the system progress among the threat posed. This phobia of subtle Christian was much that by the end of nineteenth century only twelve parents of Muslim children were attending schools. In fact, the rejection of Christian schools was very acute in Epe and it continued until the government responded by opening school at Epe, Badagry, and Lagos Island where Islam was taught alongside with other subjects. Christianity like in other parts of Yoruba land was taught side by side with Islam peacefully: even though Muslim considered it a heinous crime to convert from Islam to Christianity. Christianity had co-existed with Islam in Lagos without any physical confrontations. Usually, there are clashes of opinion which never degenerated to serious religious riot (Bello, http://cefolassaocoed.net).

THE CHALLENGES OF ISLAM TO CHRISTIANITY IN YORUBA LAND

EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES

It is a clear matter in the educational system of Yoruba people that Muslim children do not value the tenacity of educations as Christian do. This, however, poses a threat to start Muslim private schools. Though almost Christian denominations have both secondary and tertiary institutions of their own, yet the position is misunderstood by the Muslim scholars by also starting Core Muslim tertiary institutions to foster teachings of Islam as a stronghold against the spread of Christian faith. This greatly hinders peace and also promotes radicalism and fanaticism in the system. According to Joseph Mutei, a Kenya scholar, who reviews his immediate country on the Islam threat, wrote what is applicable in Yoruba land that a Muslim child is born and bred within the educational framework of madrassa. Also notes that Islam presents itself as a way of life, which means that their educational system would embrace all spheres of life (Unpublished article 2).

DUPLICITY OF RELIGION STYLE CHALLENGES

Christianity and Islam in Nigeria especially in Yoruba land suffers from imitation and duplicity of style in order to attract her members and foster threat in the system. In Lagos state, there are a lot of mystic religions who have bounded Christianity with Islam in order to counteract the gospel. Chrislam is an example of such threat. This group is Islamic in nature yet adopts Christian style of worship. Apart from this, Muslim in Yoruba land observes what Christian do in worship such as: all night prayer, choir rendition, nicknamed “sister” and “brother”, building of camp grounds for prayer and others.

ETHNICITY CHALLENGES

Secretary-General of Christian Association of Nigeria, Engr. Samuel Salifu insists that the association would insist on ethnicity and religion being included on the census questionnaire. Salifu said that CAN have discovered that the first forms printed by the National Population Commission had the issues of ethnicity and religion, but these were omitted in the subsequent ones. "We discovered that some religious leaders met and threatened the President that if these two issues were included in the census, they would boycott it and the President yielded to their threat. We are saying that the wish of the Muslims cannot be imposed on us... They are also saying that there are more Muslims in Nigeria than Christians. So, we want that proved (Ganiyu and Nwozor 14). In Yoruba land, we are one ethnic with the same language yet with diverse thought as an ethnic. Most Muslim brethren appreciates the life of a fellow Muslim man his ethnic brothers. In the name of what you belief, Muslim exist to spare.

SOCIAL CHALLENGES

Mutei states that there is mutual and communal solidarity within the Islamic community in which it becomes challenge to Christianity. They deny Christian liberty to their rights as citizens of this country (Unpublished article 1). However, Abioye remarks on the state of social margin in religion settings in Nigeria that we should emphasize the need for mutuality and reciprocity with regards to respecting one another's rights. Muslims have their "no go areas". For instance, in all area of central mosque in town, all roads leading to the central mosque, which is around the main market of the town, are closed between 2pm and 3p.m every Friday. Not only that no vehicle driver would dare remove the roadblocks, any woman of any religion passing by must cover her head, otherwise she would be harassed by some Muslim youths. During the month of Ramadan, for about thirty days non- Muslims are awakened as from 2 a.m. in the course of waking Muslims up to prepare the pre-dawn fast meal (Unpublished article 6).

 POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES

Awoniyi notes that out of the 7 Yoruba-dominated states in Nigeria, four of them have Muslim governors; Senator Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, Oyo, Chief Abdulkarim Bisi Akande, Oshun, and Alhaji Mohammed Alabi Lawal of Kwara as at a decade ago. The deputy governor of Ogun State, Alhaji Sefiu Gbenga Kaka, is also a Muslim. In fact, in Oyo and Oshun states the speakers are also Muslims; Alhaji Asimiyu Alarape and Alhaji Mojeed Alabi respectively. And in the past, we have had a situation where both the governor and his deputy have been Muslims like in Lagos and currently in the Noerthern part of the country like Kano. In the nomination for Lagos, Funsho Williams, a Christian, a supposedly more popular candidate in the state’s AD, lost the party’s primaries because the Afenifere leadership, allegedly "dominated by Christians", preferred a Muslim, Ahmed Tinubu. However, the Fulani Oligarchy is fighting to introduce religious disharmony into Yoruba land. They sponsored the Pro-Osama bin Laden protest in Ibadan November 2001 and seeing that the Yoruba political elite were too busy fighting among themselves to react, they upped the scale. The next protest they bankrolled two weeks later, in Oshogbo, was more violent; 15 church buildings were set ablaze and a Christian Yoruba was murdered. Of course, the whole Islamic establishment in Yoruba land rose to condemn the mindless act of violence but it does not seem to understand the motive behind it hence it is still to take the necessary measures to expose the agents of Sokoto Caliphate in organisations like the so-called National Council of Muslim Youth Organizations (NACOMYO) led by one Isiaka Sanni, who were behind the two incidents (www.theafricancourier.de)

Mutei notes that Muslims have intensified their search for Islamic role in the political arena (Unpublished 2). This political threat against Christianity is daily straighten from political parties to the mosque. The current attempt to weaken Yoruba nationalism and also Christianity by seeking to create a distinct Muslim Yoruba political view-point must be situated within the role which Islam played in the ascendancy of Fulanis to political power in Nigeria (www.theafricancourier.de).

CONCLUSION

Christianity in the midst of challenges is still strong and vibrant yet the threats never subside. Islamic community poses violence to evangelistic approach of Christian in winning converts daily and daily strategy to combat the gospel jeopardize lives without measure and this deny Christian their political, social, fundamental, and economic right. However, Christianity has to understand the religion and the approach to manage them. Christianity should endure without weapons of war and thereby increase the tempo of Muslim evangelism in a loving and unarmed manner.

  

WORKS CITED

 Abioye, Pius Oyeniran. Issues in Contemporary Discussion - Consideration of the Effectiveness of Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Nigeria: Today’s Perspective. Eds. Ade P. Dopamu, Olutosin Awolalu and  Stephen G. Delamarter. Unpublished Article,  nd.

 Asiwaju, I. O. Western Yoruba Land under European Rule 1889 – 1945: A Comparative Analysis of French and British Colonialism. New Jersey: Humanities press, 1976.

 Awoniyi, Femi . Fulanis, Yorubas, Islam and Political Power in Nigeria - Re: The Role of "Resource Control" and Restructuring in the Political Economy of Nigeria By Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa. January 2002. www.theafricancourier.de accessed on 17th October 2011 by 4.10pm.

 Bello, J.I. Islam and Christianity in Awori land. Eds. Ajayi E. A., Ajetumobi R. O., Akindele S. A. (1998) The Awori of Lagos State, Lagos: Litramed. http://cefolassaocoed.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=70 accessed on 17th October 2011 by 4.02pm.

 Bowen, T. J. Central Africa: Adventures and Missionary Labors in Several Countries in the Interior of Africa from 1849 to 1856. Charleston: Southern Baptist Publication society, 1857.

 Encyclopedia Britannica.  Islam.  Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010.

 Ganiyu, Mutiu and Nwozor, Ngozi  Census: NPC Insists on  Removal of Religion, Ethnicity... CAN may Boycott.  New Age Newspaper, Monday, April 18, 2005.

 Mutei, Joseph. The challenges of Islam to Christianity in Africa: Kenyan Context. Unpublished  Article.  Kenya: St Paul’s University, 2011.