Firstly, we should not be surprised. People like Nancy Isime hold very little things as sacred. She and those like her have little principles and cannot just get the idea of a religion with followers that actually adhere to what its scriptures say and hold it dearer than even their parents and children. What? Huh? Yes, that is very alien to them.
Just like they have evidently opened their religion to ridicule by stripping all sacredness from the religion they say they belong to by making jokes with their god, their angels, their prophets, they want to cast that onto Islam and Muslims by force – because “religion” is all the same to them. They don’t really believe in it, and “what is even wrong with these extremist Muslims?. Don’t you see how our comedians make jokes about our own god, the day of judgment, angel Gabriel and our other religious symbols?”. They are what I describe as “Clandestine Atheists & Glorified Agnostics”. This is the majority of people in the Nigerian entertainment industries – one way you can identify the best of them is that they say: “I believe in god, but not religion”, “I’m spiritual”. So, they in truth, live their lives as atheists, with little to no rules and principles, but have their cake and eat it by simply claiming “spiritual” or the tag of their parents’ religion.
Nancy Isime, the director, and the film’s producers’ colonized minds see the image of women in the Muslim woman gear holding guns as a “cool concept”, just like they watched their colonial masters in Hollywood portray Nuns holding guns. They are not original; they just want to be “edgy” and do what they think is “cool imagery”. They have been mentally and ideologically molested.
So, should you be surprised that an individual like Nancy Isime disrespects Islam? No.
A key addition is that the “Muslims” around them are at best, what I call “Cultural Muslims”. Their father and mother had Muslim names, but it’s a miracle if they pray 5x a day – which is the bare minimum in Islam. They live their life to suit and fit into to dominant culture of atheism/secularism (Nancy Isime’s creed), so they give no push back when their non-Muslim counterparts disrespect Islam just like they (the non-Muslim counterparts) disrespect the religion they claim to belong to. Point is that many of these “Muslim” colleagues you’re expecting to call Nancy Isime and co. to order are just like them – they don’t really care like that.
What should we do?:
1. Have gheerah (protective jealousy) for our religion (Islam), and make Nancy Isime feel the heat on social media. In addition, cancel her and her works.
2. Those with the access and authority should do what is legal to make her feel the consequences of disrespecting the MOST PRACTICED RELIGION IN NIGERIA.
Written by Abu Lūt (@lifeofmustapha) via X
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