Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) says it will not attend a debate organized by Kano state government between Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara and Kano clerics.
The Kano state government has slated March 7 for debate between the Qadiriyya scholar and some Muslim clerics in the state.
Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara had acknowledged the receipt of the letter sent to him by the government on the debate, and replied that he would attend the debate.
Some Kano-based clerics had criticized Sheikh Abduljabbar’s preaching as blasphemous against the prophet, an allegation he had denied.
The government had ordered the closure of schools and mosques belonging to the sheikh and banned him from preaching, due to the allegation.
A statement by JNI’s Secretary General Khalid Aliyu, said: “at the beginning of the imbroglio, we commended the Kano State government for the step it has taken to avert calamity on the land and prevent breakdown of law and order.
“We equally expected that the government will consult widely on the way forward as this problem is not only restricted to Kano state; it’s a National or rather global phenomenon that affects every true practicing Muslim.
“JNI based on most jurisprudential deductions feels that it’s not even proper to debate with Abdul-Jabbar as someone who openly blasphemes against the noble Prophet (SAW). His fate is sealed Islamically; there’s no point giving him additional opportunity and coverage to further spew his ungodly past-time to the world,” it said.
