Saudi group cautions imams, preachers against extremism, hate speech

A group of Islamic preachers from Saudi Arabia, the Qudwah Organisation of Islamic Preachers, has advocated tolerance and civility as the right methodology for the propagation of Islam.

The group made the call recently during a programme tagged “Islam Focus” on the Crescent University Television.

Qudwah Organisation of Islamic Preachers comprises select professionals and public servants from Saudi Arabia, including researchers, judges, surgeons, engineers and Islamic jurists.

The clerics are in Nigeria to sensitise imams and scholars on the need to jettison extremism and hate speeches in their da’wah activities.

The leader of the delegation, Bader Abdullah-Alfadhel, explained that what brought them to Nigeria is focus on “methodology and the need to eschew tendencies that may lead to deviation and extremism.”

Abdullah-Alfadhel advised Islamic leaders in Nigeria to adopt Prophet Muhammad’s approach in calling people to Islam, stressing that the religion is a source of blessings from Allah to all mankind.

“What we are trying to show to the whole world is that we want you to know that we have different fields of professionals – educators, lawyers, judges, engineers and surgeons.

“That shows that Islam is not just a religion limited to the mosque alone. We must improve human capacity, and we should show to the world that Muslims are the leaders in good and developmental areas,” he said.

Abdullah-Alfadhel, a director at Qudwah and a judge on Islamic Jurisprudence in Saudi Arabia, commended Prince AbdulJabbar Bola Ajibola, the founder of Crescent University, for his effort in propagating Islam, especially in Africa.

The delegation counselled Islamic clerics to draw inspiration from the word of Allah who commanded Prophet Muhammad not to be harsh on people while inviting them to Islam, adding that extremism and hate speeches would only discourage people from seeing the beauty of Islam and embracing the religion.

“We want Muslim scholars in Nigeria to adopt the methodology of Prophet Muhammad when he introduced Islam to Madinah, promoting friendliness, brotherhood and not tribalism and hatred,” he added.

Earlier, the chief host, Prince Ajibola, commended the visitors for improving the capacity of Islamic scholars in Nigeria.