No cause for alarm. That is the assurance from Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr. Geoffrey Onyema over Nigeria’s has membership in the Saudi Arabia led
Islamic Coalition against terrorism.
Onyema, after a closed door meetings with President Mohammadu Buhari at
the State House, told Journalists that Nigeria’s membership of the group
is purely in the fight against terrorism in the country.
He dispelled the insinuations that such membership has religious connotation.
“It has nothing to do with religion as far as Nigeria is concerned. We
have to look at what the objective is. We face terror challenges and its a
global phenomenon,” the Minister said.
According to him “Unfortunately, the problem we have today is that some of
the terrorists groups are claiming some of the things they are doing is in
the name of a particular religion and it is clear to everybody that this
is not the case which is obviously a concern to people of Islamic faith
and Islamic countries that their religion should be so abused.
“So, there is naturally a tendency to show that this has nothing to do
with Islam. Terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. Islamic countries,
Islamic people want to be seen as being in the forefront of the battle
against these terrorists to show also that it has absolutely nothing to do
with religion.
“That’s what this is all about. So, we are supporting every move to
achieve this, to disabuse people’s minds that some of these terrorists are
speaking in the name of Islam or are Islamic or that there’s anything
about Islamic teaching that somehow condones these barbaric actions.
“I think it’s something we should all get together and we should all
support whoever is working towards it. And that’s what this coalition is
for, to show too that we are a Muslim country, we are Muslims and these
people do not speak for islam, have nothing to do with islam.
“Most of the victims of these people are Muslims if you look at it. So,
that’s what it is. “It has nothing to do with Nigeria, Christianity,
Islam. I think the media should really get the main message across”, he
said.