Alwaght- Nigerian security forces have attacked Muharram mourning ceremonies in the northern city of Sokoto, arresting at least six Shiite Muslims.
All of those arrested on Saturday were members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), whose leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky is in jail.
The ceremonies were being held despite a ban by Sokoto state on the group’s activities.
The first ten days of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Hijri calendar, mark the martyrdom of the third Shiite Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad SAW, Imam Hussein AS, in 680 AD in a battle with the tyrant of the time. The tenth day of Muharram, known as Ashura, marks the day when Imam Hussein was martyred with 72 of his loyal companions. The historic event's message of resistance and rising up against tyranny has been key to the evolution of a culture which rejects abjection at any rate.
"The Islamic Movement is highly dismayed when news emanated that Sokoto state Commissioner of justice has announced the ban on Shiite processions in the state," said an IMN spokesman.
"For the avoidance of any doubt we will like to remind the state government and the general public that all our processions have been peaceful throughout the history of the Islamic Movement. In fact, the last three processions held by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria in Sokoto metropolis were devoid of anything unpleasant and even enjoyed police protection as ordered by the constitution. Hence we are surprised by the anticipated public disorder as proclaimed by the commissioner," he added. Last year at least 16 Shiite Muslims were killed following attacks by security forces on the day of Ashura in different areas across the country.
Shiite Muslims in Nigeria participating at a mourning procession on the Day of AshuraMeanwhile, IMN members have held a fresh protest in the capital Abuja, demanding the release of their jailed leader Sheikh Zakzaky.
Tensions between the Nigerian government and Shiite Muslims broke out in December 2015 in the city of Zaria in Kaduna state when the army killed over 1,000 innocent Muslims. During the incident, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria leader Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife were shot and badly wounded and thereafter detained by Nigerian security agencies. They are still being held incommunicado by security forces with their health rapidly deteriorating.
The massacre and continued persecution of Shiite Muslims continues amid a deafening silence by the UN which has ignored the crimes committed by the Nigerian regime against Muslims in the West African state.
