One thing I admire about Eseoghene Al-Faruq Ohwojeheri is his ability to detect and explain inconsistent arguments. Today, many critics pick two contradictory subjects and draw an equivalence. In case you missed this, read, “Answering Atheists: The Nexus Between Worship Centres and Hospitals – Eseoghene Ohwojeheri”
Many Atheists, Agnostics, Pan-Africans always see a need to bash Islam as much as they bash Christianity even on topics that are unrelated. The desperation to make a point and/or strike a balance calls for a fallacy of inconsistency.
In the article above, Eseoghene had given a subtle response to those who ask why we have more worship centres than hospitals. Eseoghene wrote,
“As Muslims for example, we pray five times a day. I don’t understand, do a billion people become sick everyday? Also, is sickness the only problem in society? How about crime, oppression, and cheating, all of which is even the reason we don’t have more hospitals? Are these religious centres not meant to train people to rise above these? It is like saying there are too much skills acquisition centres.”
Once Fela Kuti sang,
“Archbishop na miliki, Popu (Pope) na enjoyment, Imamu (Imam) na gbaladun”
In an interview, he said Christians think like the British and Americans while Muslims think like Arabs. He took this desperation to draw an equivalence between Islam and Christianity to his 1980 album, “Coffin for Head of State”. After attacking Obasanjo where he sang,
“Look Obasanjo!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
“Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, Almighty Lord!”
“Oh Lord, oh God!”
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)”
To strike a balance, he picked on Yar’adua where he sang,
I say, look Yar’Adua!
I say, look Yar’Adua!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
“Habba Allah, habba Allah, habba Allah!”
“Habba Allah, habba Allah!”
And them do, yes yes
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Mohammed our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)”
Can you imagine that the great Fela Kuti and his entire crew were not meticulous enough in cross-checking the lyrics that he had to suggest that Muslims, just like Christians call Muhammed (peace be upon him) their Lord just as Christians do to Jesus?
It is this bias that has beclouded many people’s intellectualism that even the well-learned make this mistake. Take a look at the Coronavirus outbreak, many of the atheists and free thinkers do not see the recommendation by the Prophet of Islam that people should not move in and out of places where there is an outbreak, rather, they call on Islam and Christianity for miracles. Which knowledgeable Muslim advertises or preaches miracles if not the ignorant ones and a high majority of the pastors.
Many Pan-Africans who have never laid their hands on the Qur’an will claim it is a tool of slavery just like the Bible that was read to slaves and used to subdue them. The one who is mad at the British for the slave trade is not satisfied until he drags Islam into it.
It is sad as many are very arrogant even when they display this arrogance. Some would say Christians pray to God through Jesus while Muslims pray to Allah through Muhammad. Ask them to read, they say you are stupid, backwards and not ‘woke’.
Every man has a right to criticize whatever he wants but this fallacy of false equivalence really needs to stop and there is no better way to stop this than understanding what one criticizes. And Islam does not necessarily need to be dragged along with Christianity. They are differently different.
Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman
