I am utterly disappointed in so many Nigerians. We have been so deeply mashed into illiteracy that even many of us who have gone to school are still illiterates. It has always been obvious that religious and ethnic dichotomy are serious threats to our national unity.
I have always known how hard it was in terms of tribalism but I had not grasped the extent to which people had parochial views along the lines of religion until last year when I went to work in Saudi Arabia. An Igbo boy and a Christian, I got a contract to work with the Islamic Development, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was a rare opportunity given to me by people of a different race, religion and interest. I quickly packed my bag and hopped on the next available flight to do what I do best.
It was then that it occurred to me that in the eyes and minds of the average Nigerian, every Arab is a Muslim; every Muslim is Osama and Al Qaeda and Boko Haram. According to a friend, I have been recruited to unleash terror on people. Another kindly asked me not to return with bombs; another instantly called me Osam bin Laden immediately I told him I was in Saudi. Others wondered why Muslims would allow a Christian into their land if not to use him against his people.
I had this habit which I formed in secondary school. Before I go to the bathroom, I love tying the towel on my head like a turban. I do this mostly weekends when I have time and not in a hurry. I even have pictures I snapped as far back as 2009 on Facebook where I had this my turban on. Now in Saudi, I did the same thing one Saturday and posted it on Facebook.
1. E remain small!
2. Choi…u don resemble dem ooh……lol. nice shot bro. Sabat salam. 3. Dis 1 wey u dey SABA!! dey salam!! U sure sey u never join dis people, I mean there "intelligence department"? Loi!!! SABA-SALAM my man.
4. Bia nwoke! when you join Boko-Haram? Registration is it still open? 5. I talk am b4, little by little u don dey turn AbdulDIKE.
6. gush! u look like them…. am afraid.
7. IF U CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM……BUT BE ALSO READY TO REMAIN THERE.
8. Oskinto…guy u look scary.!!!!
Now these are just the comments. So many people come on to chat me on FB and BBM. They were all over me seriously demanding that I return home. There reason? I am living with terrorists and I will soon become one of them if I am not yet one of them. Funny enough, this is a towel. Even if it was not, the turban-like head gear is worn all over the Middle East by different culture and even in Far-East Asia. The Arabs, the Jews, Indians and the Persians. Even in Ethiopia, Greece and the Swahili Coast, turbans or Dastar are very common. This shows the deep-seated phobia our people have for Arabs and Muslims. We need to understand that cultural appreciation is part of life and I am one who enjoys life wherever I am.
When my younger sister was graduating from Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo and I attended. Some mischievous people started rumours that there was an imminent terrorist attack that weekend. I had already come with only one cloth for the Sunday occasion – a thobe, a gutra and the tagia. My friend who is a Doctor in the school informed me and I told him I will wear what I have without apology to anyone. And I did. Of course many stopped and stared, some friends later told me that if there had been any terrorist attack I would have been the first to be arrested. Anyway, thanks heavens no such thing happened.
At the end of the day, I was arguing with people who were supposed to be better educated than myself about Arabs, Northerners, Muslims and terrorists. It was a waste of time trying to convince them that not all Northerners are Boko Haram sympathizers neither are all Muslims. Believe it or not, many people from the southern part
of this country are so sure all Northerners, Arabs, Muslims are Boko Haram. I am proud to be associated with Muslims like my former colleague who I worked with in Access Bank, in C2G Consulting and now as a freelance SAP Consultant (Biola); also, a former classmate and roommate of mine in Babcock University (Lasisi). If all Christians behaved like these two, our dear country wouldn't be where it is today.
With the ascension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to the throne of the Emir of Kano, I saw posts from people (funny enough Christians and people from the South West, South East and South South) clearly showing "painment". They say SLS is not qualified, he's unpopular among his folks and that party politics is the main reason for his selection. I saw a tweet stating that terrorism just ascended a throne in Nigeria. It seems we are so kin to accuse people of being terrorists with or without concrete evidence just because they are Muslims and Northerners. We have quickly forgotten that bearing false witness against our neighbour is a crime against God and man. Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 6:16-19.
In closing, I want to say that my time in Saudi Arabia is the best ever. Tax-free money, constant power supply, PMS pump price of about N18-N23 per litre and absolutely no police/soldier harassment. The government ensures that prices of commodities especially from foreign countries were capped and there is a solid road network in all parts of Jeddah City. Not a single day did i hear about gunmen or bombs killing innocent citizens. We need to be more tolerant about people with different religious beliefs or from other parts of the world. Today, I can assure you that at least 1.2 million Roman Catholics alone are in Saudi Arabia enjoying the tax-free money without the threat of gunmen to their lives.
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