SHUT UP, UMAR LABDO!

By Mahdi Garba.

Umar Labdo knows nothing about the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, yet in his unending quest for relevance from Nigerian authorities, Labdo a professor who is known for spewing trash against his major foes; Shiites and Christians on Facebook that even makes his students question his credentials derives joy in deceiving his gullible followers by smearing resilient members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and their dogged leader, Sheikh Zakzaky with half-truths.

The half-baked professor is at it again. I read a trash written by the aforesaid person who cherishes turning himself into a laughing stock in his ceaseless invective against any person that has affiliation with Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky or his Islamic Movement.  Forget about how Labdo, a professor in humanities murders the English language, the medium he outpours his vituperation in, that one would imagine how his articles get published. In an era where plagiarism perfectly works, this should be a gist of another day.

Professor Umar Labdo's latest invective titled, 'Send Zakzaki (sic) into Exile' caught my attention in a Whatsapp group, Monday evening. I read it for a lone reason -to see whether he is now mentally matured or still argues like a baby in a cradle -fortunately, Labdo didn't disappointed me. The argument, like the previous ones is characterized by fallacies, lies, and half-truths. As usual, his contempt for reason and critical thinking manifested again.

Firstly, Labdo failed woefully to argue intellectually when he tries put a dichotomy between religion and politics in his bid to deregister Sheikh Zakzaky from Islam. This is among the tenets of Wahabism, Labdo's version of Islam. To them, any person that fails to subscribe to their ideology that derives joy in bloodletting, should be deregistered from Islam. This idea is spreading its tentacles across the world with funny names like al-Qaeda, Islamic State in the Levant & Syria, al-Shabbab and now Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Striking out Sheikh Zakzaky from the circle of Islam was a deliberate attempt by Labdo to unleash his venomous invective against the detained Islamic Movement's leader because to them anybody that doesn't pronounce Islam should die in the most bestial way. This is nothing alien to someone conversant with their talk shows on the pulpit, in class, market, TV, radio and what have you.

Sheikh Zakzaky during Nahjul Balagha Lectures in Hussainiyah Bakiyatullah Zariya

According to Umar Labdo's tirade, the killing of more than 1000 people in Zaria, women and children inclusive was 'political' rather a human rights violation. The detention of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, Malam Zeenah amid severe gun injuries without medical attention is not a violation of human rights. Labdo's disdain for Sheikh Zakzaky and what he stands for has forced him to think with his little head.

Read him: "Some of the most vocal proponents of the movement are activist Christians. Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is at the fore front (sic) of those calling for the unconditional release of Zakzaki."

The movement has supporters from every religious denomination but Labdo's hatred towards the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) beclouded his sense of sight to see other denominations that see their conscience being pricked by the President Buhari's brutality against the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and its leadership.

Still in his diatribe, Labdo mentioned that, "Many of the movement's activities are carried out not in mosques but in churches."

In the Wahhabi doctrine, lying against an adherent of Shiism, whom the call apostates would earn them rewards. I must say that there is nothing wrong in organizing a program in church but pointing out Labdo's lies would help gullible minds. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has never organized any program in church. What remains true is, the members of the Islamic join Christian faithful during gatherings like birth of Jesus (as). If the Islamic Movement only carries out its programs in churches, then what's the rationale behind building Husainiyya Baqiyatullah and other Islamic centres across villages, towns and cities?

Personally, I fear that if relatives of Umar Labdo fail to take him for mental assessment, he would one day say that the Islamic Movement-owned structures demolished in Zaria, Kaduna, Jos and other places are churches.

Notwithstanding, Labdo should swallow his pride and get a Brighter Grammar to understand when, where and how the quantifier 'many' is used.

At the initial of his diatribe, Labdo seemed to be courageous only to crash land at end as a poor vanquished soul when he expressed his fears for Zakzaky's freedom and the legendary Arbaeen symbolic trek. He advised the government to send Zakzaky into exile and to him, the solution lies therein.

In Labdo's naïve thought, what sustains the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is the "foreign funding". All the people that have killed, the ones burnt alive, the ones whose bodies were desecrated, the breadwinners who left the subject and the mothers who lost their children simple did that because of "foreign funding". Isn't that funny?

Ma'asumah Nigerian News Updates Correspondent -Idishia Jos.