Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has denied that torture centers recently discovered in some States across the North region of Nigeria are Islamiyyah schools.
The Police recently discovered torture center meant to be a reformation place for children with character deformation in Daura, Katsina state.
More of such centres have also been discovered in Kano and Kaduna States.
However, in a statement signed by MURIC’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, those torture centers are not Islamiyyah schools. “For the avoidance of doubts, we strongly condemn what is going on in the torture chambers and we dissociate Islamiyyah schools from them. It is horrible, inhuman and barbaric. But the fact remains that those places are not Islamiyyah schools.
“They are rehabilitation centres. A clear distinction exists between Islamiyyah schools and reform centres. This would have been clear enough if efforts had been made to visit Islamiyyah schools after which comparisons can be made.
“The inmates were brought there by their parents after noticing their weird and bohemian behaviour. They are victims of drug addiction whose anti-social demeanours made their parents to seek solutions to their drug addiction.
“The fact that parents came out to protest against the police action in the centers further cements our position. The parents even demanded immediate return of their children and wards to those centres.
“We reject the methods used to reform drug addicts in those centres. They are too crude and too inhuman. Chaining and severe flogging are unacceptable correctional methods. Those styles are sadistic,” he said.
MURIC blamed the mistaken identity on Islamophobia, adding, “Calling those torture chambers Islamiyyah schools is simply another Islam-bashing. Some people are always eager to associate evil and negative things with Islam.
“It is like giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Islamophobics are behind the negative publicity and the aim is to kill the Islamiyyah schools and demonise the learning of Arabic and Islamic studies.
“The propaganda was well coordinated. All Western media platforms were on our necks within minutes of the discovery. The feverishness was astounding. Yet their paradoxically lackadaisical attitude to the Kano 9 incident (in which nine Muslim children were kidnapped, converted to Christianity and sold into slavery) around the same time is shocking. It exposes the double standard which is a major characteristic of Islamophobia.
The Islamic human rights organization insisted that Islam does not support torture.
“Islam is a humanistic faith. Torture is taboo in Islam. As a Muslim, you must not even torture an animal not to talk of doing such a wicked thing to fellow homo sapiens compos mentis. Allah commands Muslims to ‘Cooperate in performing righteous deeds and not in committing sin and aggression’ (Qur’an 5:2).
MURIC held state governments responsible for failing to stem the tide.