Nigeria

Death and Desecration of Koran in Nigeria

Leo Igwe

Any one who says that Islam stands for peace should take a critical look at the recent killing of a schoolteacher by muslim pupils in Northern Nigeria
On March 21 Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oluwaseesin was attacked and murdered in cold blood by students of Government Day Secondary School Gandu in Gombe State for allegedly desecrating the Koran.

On this fateful day, Mrs Oluwaseesin was assigned to invigilate students writing an examination on Islamic Religious Studies. But in the course of that, she noticed that one of the students came into the Hall with her school bag. She took it from her and put it away. Some reports said she dumped the bag on the floor. Whatever the case, the teacher’s action was followed by chanting of Allah Akbar-God is Great-by the students who said the bag contained a Koran. They accused her of desecrating it.

First of all they set her car ablaze. And later they seized her, stripped her naked, stabbed her to death and burnt her corpse. They later dumped the remains at the back of her burning car.

The students went on to raze down three classes, the school’s administrative block, library, and the clinic. They also attacked and injured the school principal who tried to shield the woman during the rampage. As often the case whenever there is a religious uprising in Northern Nigeria, the state government has set up a panel of inquiry to look into the matter. And Mrs. Oluwaseesin has since been buried in her hometown- Abeokuta.

[edited for formatting and promoted by mole333]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6477177.stm
HUMANISTS CONDEMN THE KILLING OF TEACHER 'OVER KORAN'

Leo Igwe

The Nigerian Humanist Movement condemns the recent attack and killing of a school teacher by Muslim students in Gombe state. The teacher was beaten to death for allegedly desecrating the Koran. Humanists are deeply worried by this killing, which was carried out less than a year after a similar accusation led to riots and deaths in Bauchi state. It can be recalled that in 1996 Muslim fanatics in Kano beheaded a Christian Igbo trader also for allegedly desecrating the Koran. It is sad and unfortunate that Muslim fundamentalists accord more value to the pages of a book than to human life.

Since 1804 Islamic jihadists have been prosecuting a holy war against non-Muslims in Northern Nigeria. The killing of this teacher represents another horrifying chapter in the continuing Islamic jihad in the country.

The Nigerian Humanist Movement calls upon the Nigerian government to investigate the circumstances that led to the killing of the school teacher, and also to investigate other cases of religiously-inspired bloodletting. We urge the Federal and state governments to live up to their responsibilities to protect the lives and rights of all citizens – whether believers or non believers - anywhere in the country, but especially of non-Muslims living and working in Islamic majority states.

When Caoily was 10 months old, she came down with rotavirus. If you have children, and you've been through this, then you know how awful this common infection is. Everything you put into your child--in my case, breastmilk and some solids--comes out in a very short time as a watery, noxious, seemingly neverending river of shit that overflows diapers. I would breastfeed her, and she would be shitting simultaneously, covering both of us in it as I tried to get fluids into her to keep her from dehydrating.
Our pediatrician hospitalized her after 12 hours. For three days, she stayed on a simple solution of electrolytes and fluid through an IV in her leg, the only vein the anesthesiologist (I had insisted on an anesthesiologist) could find to puncture.
She was one of the lucky ones.