Islam is totally against the abduction, forceful conversion and exchange of marital vows between people without parents consent, a professor and Islamic cleric, Ishaq Akintola has said, insisting that the faith should be left out of the abduction of Miss Ese Oruru.
Miss Oruru, a 13-year-old girl from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State was allegedly abducted to Kano by one Yunusa Yellow in a saga that is currently stirring controversy in Nigeria.
Akintola who doubles as the Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) demanded the arrest and prosecution of Yunusa, insisting that the role he allegedly played in the abduction is being twisted by some elements to tarnish the faith, ignite anti-Muslim emotion and should be condemned by all Muslims.
“The fact that Yunusa is a Muslim cannot becloud our sense of justice. The Qur’an commands Muslims to “… Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses of Allah, even if the case is against yourselves, or your parents, or your family, and whether it is against a rich or poor man…” (Qur’an 4:135).
“MURIC cannot afford to be partisan. A fellow Muslim, Yunusa, has violated the law and caused a Christian family to go through a traumatic period. Unless it can be proved that the girl came to Kano separately and alone, not in the company of Yunusa, the latter stands culpable.
He should therefore be handed over to the Yenagoa authorities with immediate effect. This must be done in order to serve as deterrent since this type of behaviour is capable of igniting anti-Muslim emotion,” Akintola said.
However, MURIC, the statement read, “wishes to make a clear distinction between this case and those involving Muslim families alone, regardless of the age of the girl. The sensationalisation of intra-Muslim marriages to minors is uncalled for and, more often than not, done with hidden malice.
What happens among Muslims is strictly a Muslim affair and should remain so as long as it is Shariah-compliant.” Akintola continued: “The issue of Ese Oruru’s conversion does not even arise.
She is deemed to be an adherent of her parents’ religion until she attains maturity. Section 38 (ii) of the Contitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 stresses the right of parents on their children in matters of religion.
The purported conversion is therefore null and void and of no consequence whatsoever. Ese Oruru cannot be free to choose her own faith until she is 18.
“MURIC is not in any way excited by the girl’s purported conversion for lack of due process.
There must be no overzealousness in matters concerning conversion to Islam. Just as Qur’an 2:256 affirms that there must be no compulsion in religion, in the same manner, Muslims must not exhibit excessive enthusiasm to win converts.”
Stating that his group commended the role of the Emir of Kano in the Ese Oruru affair, the University don maintained that the police have also acted very professionally.
“Nonetheless, we demand that Yunusa Oruru, the ‘boy friend’ with whom the girl eloped should arrested and prosecuted. Our position is based on the fact that the girl is a minor.
Attempting to marry off the girl without her parent’s permission is not only a breach of common law but also a violation of the Shariah provision on the need for the parents’ approval before nikah (Islamic marriage) can be deemed valid (La nikah bila waliyyin).
“Of particular significance in this regard is the express command in the Glorious Qur’an that women should be married with the permission of their parents. The Qur’an says inter alia, “…And marry them (i.e. women) with the permission of their parents (Qur’an 4:25).
“While we are aware that Yunusa Yellow’s intention was marriage inspired by love and not abduction for pecuniary benefits, the position of the law is quite different
