Madness beyond limit

Aliyu Musa

The killing Wednesday of a soldier in London by two young Britons believed to be of Nigerian ancestry is madness beyond limit for which no justification can be given. It will, apart from the further negative image it will present of Islam and black people, put innocent Muslims and people of the same racial background as the killers at serious risk.

As soon as the news first filtered in I solemnly prayed the culprits should have nothing to do with Islam. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw a knife wielding young man proudly brandishing his blood smeared hands and weapon to camera and telling of his brutishness in a London accent. The show of bravado was obviously suicidal and senseless, and of no positive service to anyone.

But what was more bizarre was the young man and his accomplice appeared to enjoy some moments of ‘fame’ (actually notoriety) while everyone looked on and at least one woman knelt by the dying man to comfort him or so. The killers made no attempts to escape and looked quite relaxed, which was something quite unusual of anyone that had just committed a crime of that nature. It was also reported that they asked onlookers to take pictures of them and call the police.

There is no denying that these men were out to kill and/or get killed, if they actually pulled out a gun and even charged at police officers who arrived the scene more than 10 minutes after the crime.

Their choice of where to carry out the attack is even more mindboggling – outside of the Woolwich Military Barracks. If they were not lucky to be in a society where the military have attained such a high level of discipline and professionalism, we probably won’t be telling the story this way. We would, perhaps, be talking of death in high numbers after soldiers run amok happily pulling the trigger on all and sundry.

But the story here is different. Nothing of such nature has happened and it will not happen. Instead, for their own safety, soldiers have been advised to avoid appearing in uniform in public places.

In the nearly 10 years I have lived in Britain I have only seen soldiers on three occasions and there was no time I saw more than two at a time. And on all three occasions they did not look very conspicuous because they were either driving in a military truck or entering their barracks, which, again, is not so noticeable unless you are told what it is.

They are very much unlike the soldiers I know back in Nigeria or in some African countries where they walk the streets as if they are superhuman. They don’t go around hunting for people in imitated military fatigues to trample on. Or get rented out by a landlord to harass a tenant that is not up to date in paying rent. No, these are professionals who have not been trained to live in the midst of civilians and don’t even feel comfortable outside of their barracks and peers.

Contrast the Woolwich butchery to the killing of some policemen in Odi some years ago, which led to the Odi invasion and sack of the village; or the Zaki Biam abduction and killing of 19 soldiers, which resulted in soldiers raiding and raising Zaki Biam to the ground; or even the recent mass murder of civilians in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Baga etc., often by soldiers whose colleagues were killed by bombs Boko Haram insurgents set off or allegedly abducted and beheaded by insurgents who have forcibly sandwiched themselves amongst helpless civilians, you will understand exactly what I mean.

What is overriding in this case is that the Woolwich killers will not escape justice. They will be well looked after by doctors until they are well enough to face trial and they will be brought to justice. Let it be.

In the meantime let the world know that no Muslim that understands and adheres to the Prophet’s (SAW) unequivocal teachings supports this or similar violent acts. For the umpteenth we say our role model is our Prophet (SAW), by whose examples Islam should be judged. As members of this and any society, it is our duty to live by these examples, which explains why in 2009 clerics in the local Mosque Andrew Ibrahim, the convicted bomber in Bristol attended were the first to draw the attention of the police to his strange behavior, which culminated in the raid in his home that forestalled his terrorist circuit.