Banditry, Terrorism Have No Place in Islam, Scholars Declare at Lagos Conference

Banditry, Terrorism Have No Place in Islam, Scholars Declare at Lagos Conference

Islamic scholars and clerics have firmly declared that banditry and terrorism are alien to Islam, urging Nigerians to reject attempts to associate criminal violence with the religion.

The scholars made the declaration at the 17th Annual Islamic International Conference organised by Daaru Na’im Academy for Shariah Sciences, Nigeria, where they unanimously condemned all narratives linking Islam with crime, injustice and evil.

The four-day conference, held in Lagos and themed “The Jurisprudence of the Sound Creed and Contemporary Challenges,” attracted over 20,000 participants from Nigeria and other countries. Discussions centred on confronting modern challenges facing Muslim communities, promoting social cohesion and addressing extremism, moral decay and social vices.

Participants warned that associating Islam with violent crimes not only misrepresents the religion but also fuels mistrust, prejudice and religious intolerance, further deepening divisions within the country.

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The convener of the conference, Dr Imran AbdulMajeed Eleha, said the gathering aimed to reaffirm the importance of sound Islamic belief across African societies amid changing social practices that contradict authentic Islamic teachings.

“This challenge is further compounded by discourses hostile to the sound creed, propagated by groups that claim affiliation with Islam and the qiblah, yet remain far removed from the true methodology of Islam in belief and actions,” Eleha said.

Guest speakers, including Professor Abdul Mojeed Alaro and the Grand Kadi of the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Justice Kamaldeen Abdulateef, called on Nigerians of all faiths to embrace religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding, stressing that national unity is critical to tackling insecurity.

Also speaking, representatives from outside Nigeria, including Dr Hamad Al-Wuhaybi, representing the Saudi Arabian Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, and the Deputy Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Mohammad Ali Wahiso, reaffirmed that Islam is founded on peace, justice and the sanctity of human life.

They emphasised that terrorism and banditry are fundamentally opposed to Islamic teachings and should never be attributed to the religion under any circumstance.

Banditry, Terrorism Have No Place in Islam, Scholars Declare at Lagos Conference