Peaceful Protest In A Democratic Government In Islam -By Ammani Aliyu Ammani

There are a lot of controversies concerning the peaceful protest organized by some concerned northerners on the insecurities that have been holding the neck of the region. People have been arguing on the basis of peaceful protest in Islam, some are supporting it while others are completely against. Some have confused the term ‘peaceful protest’ with ‘riot’, some are completely condemning it and some are backing it. These controversies are what triggered this write-up. I’ll narrate the divergent views of different Scholars and then I’ll express my opinion.

The Wahhabis are of the position that protests are forbidden. They claimed that the Holy Qur’an (4:59) encourages obedience to leaders. Sheikh Bin Baz (Grand Mufti) also maintained the same position that the ruled should obey the rulers.

Other scholars believe that protest, just like democracy can be attributed to the doctrine of necessity (daruriy). Considering the fact that neither of them has a place in Islam.

A renowned Sunni Scholar who goes by the name Yusuf al-Qaradawi is of the position that peaceful protests, rallies, strikes etc are innovations in the role of customs not in the role of Islam. Innovations in the role of Islam like bid’ah are forbidden (haram).

Sheikh al-Qaradaghi a Secretary General of the International Union for Muslims Scholars is of the same view with Qaradawi, he believes that protests are permissible if they meet the following conditions:

1. They must be quiet and nonviolent and must maintain their quiet nature.

2. Protest rallies are only to be held in response to government corruption, oppression, or tyranny or due to legislation countering the accepted legal tradition, such as; usury, alcoholism or governmental encouragement of abominations, e.g adultery.

3. In cases when the government aligns itself with other hostile, anti Muslim governments and helps them either economically, militarily or politically.

4. These permissible rallies may not serve personal, political or political party interests.

These are the divergent views I managed to get.

A s a concerned northerner who’s touched by the situation in my region, I’d stand with the doctrine of necessity (daruriy). Democracy is not an Islamic way of governance and Nigeria is not an Islamic state. Protest is a right given to the Nigerian citizens by the same constitution that validates the application of democracy. One cannot submit to the practice of democracy and scrape away peaceful protest, you vote a leader into office and you have every right to hold him accountable.

In 2012, the same people who are telling us not to protest now encouraged us to protest against a policy of the then government. Clerics in the North have been using religion to mould people into the shape that suits them and the politicians they stand for. Now is the time for our people to put a halt to that. We’re being killed, kidnapped and molested everyday in this part of the world, this is not what we voted for and you can’t expect us to sit back and wait until the day of judgement for our voices to be heard.

You can question my islamness but I all I know is that I am not practicing the religion to please you or to be your pet to do with as you please. You cannot contradict yourself in many instances in the past and expect me to just follow submissively without asking questions. I have a brain that reasons.
This post is intended to reach an average northerner, to widen their horizon of critical thinking, so in order to hit the right audience I am going to translate it into Hausa.

Ammani Aliyu Ammani.