L
LequteMan
Guest
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, has accused northern religious leaders of injecting toxins into their followers, resulting in brutal murders of others of different faith, as witnessed in Zamfara recently.
According to him religious violence will continue in Nigeria until preachers of religious intolerance are prosecuted and made to atone for their offences.
“In my view, it is that toxin injected into the social consciousness of the followers of that religion that has resulted in the murder of innocent citizens. Is there something called vicarious guilt or not?”
“Should we be surprised and start condemning some stupid young fellows who took the law into their own hands and burnt eight people alive, who were not even part of the original scenario?
“I call them stupid and a disgrace to their school, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic. I say they are stupid and a disgrace to learning anywhere because even a child who lives in a community must understand that if you want to create a serious fight between two people, just say that the individual you are targeting has abused your mother. It is as elementary as that.”
He also said the emergence of Boko Haram was caused by religious teachings that incite violent behaviour and intolerance towards the fundamental rights of every citizen.
“My view is that we can complain, we can protest, we can condemn as much as we want. Until those who are guilty even of vicarious liability, when a murder is committed, are brought to book and made to apologise to the whole nation and do penance, such cannot stop,” he added.
He said all these while delivering a lecture on “Culture at risk” at the University of Benin, Edo State on Thursday.
Punch
According to him religious violence will continue in Nigeria until preachers of religious intolerance are prosecuted and made to atone for their offences.
“In my view, it is that toxin injected into the social consciousness of the followers of that religion that has resulted in the murder of innocent citizens. Is there something called vicarious guilt or not?”
“Should we be surprised and start condemning some stupid young fellows who took the law into their own hands and burnt eight people alive, who were not even part of the original scenario?
“I call them stupid and a disgrace to their school, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic. I say they are stupid and a disgrace to learning anywhere because even a child who lives in a community must understand that if you want to create a serious fight between two people, just say that the individual you are targeting has abused your mother. It is as elementary as that.”
He also said the emergence of Boko Haram was caused by religious teachings that incite violent behaviour and intolerance towards the fundamental rights of every citizen.
“My view is that we can complain, we can protest, we can condemn as much as we want. Until those who are guilty even of vicarious liability, when a murder is committed, are brought to book and made to apologise to the whole nation and do penance, such cannot stop,” he added.
He said all these while delivering a lecture on “Culture at risk” at the University of Benin, Edo State on Thursday.
Punch
