OIC Renounces Boko Haram, Says Group Misusing Islam

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
on Monday in Abuja described Boko Haram as a
criminal group whose members were misusing
Islamic religious doctrines to perpetrate
violence.
The Secretary-General of OIC, Eyad Madani, said
this while speaking with State House
correspondents after his meeting with President
Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.
Madani, who met with President Jonathan
behind closed doors, said OIC was concerned
about the evil being perpetrated against the
people of Nigeria by Boko Haram.
``We are here to express our solidarity with
Nigeria in facing up to this terrorist organisation
and to condemn the terrorist acts they have
been committing and to show our condolences
to the Nigerian people.
``The OIC has issued statements that were
very clear that these people are outlaws.
``What they do is criminal acts that have
nothing to do, absolutely nothing to do with
Islam, Islamic teaching, the religion of Islam, the
history of Islam, the culture and civilisation of
Islam and we should identify them for what
they are as  a terrorist group,`` he said.
Madani said that the body was particularly
concerned because the activities of Boko Haram
ran contrary to the principles of living together,
history, and the culture of tolerance that
Africans were known for.
``Africa, we keep saying, is a model of such
tolerance. Its history is the history of tolerance,
and of living together; we keep saying that the
African tradition is something that needs to
stay.
``This is where the principles or OIC position
is. There are of course the economic and social
aspects to that conflict and similar conflicts,
elsewhere in the world.
Madani also expressed the readiness of OIC to
help alleviate the hardship being experienced by
communities affected by the activities of the
insurgents.
He said that though OIC was a political and not
a religious organisation prepared to assist the
country in convening inter-faith dialogue, based
on the request of Nigeria.
He said that such inter-faith dialogue would
help in promoting unity and religious tolerance
among Nigerians.
According to him, the 57-member organisation
of which Nigeria is a member, has already
issued strong statements condemning the
activities of Boko Haram and urged Muslims to
shun them.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu
Wali, who accompanied the delegation from
OIC, expressed Nigeria's appreciation for the
support, saying that it had shown that the
organisation was always willing to come to the
aid of member states.
He said: ``The fact that OIC has expressed its
position of support and understanding in this
area of our challenges, goes to show that it is
playing its role to support any of its member
states that has any problem – socially,
economically, religiously, or otherwise.
``This should be a message to every Nigerian
that OIC is a body that is able and willing to
come to the aid of its member states. I think it
is a good start and we will be moving
forward.``
  The minister stated that Nigeria had requested
assistance from OIC for the rehabilitation of
displaced communities from the Boko Haram-
ravaged areas.
``We have already made our request for
support in all aspects and OIC has been doing
that in Southern Africa, Mali, Somalia, and other
places, and this is nothing new to OIC.
``As a member of the OIC, Nigeria will
certainly look forward for support from the OIC
for those that have been internally displaced,``
he added.