The Learner

Dear Donald Trump, we are not apes By Muhsin Ibrahim We could not sleep one night in 2008. Instead, we sat in front of the TV, watching and praying for ‘our’ favourite candidate to coast to power and be declared the winner of the election. We wanted to witness history, not of any relative winning any election in Nigeria, but of Barack Obama winning the United States presidential election. Of course, we witnessed the history of the first non-white man becoming the president of the most powerful country in the world. We were delighted. We thought that, henceforth, black people would be more respected globally. Henceforth, our race would not be associated with backwardness. Henceforth, we would have more opportunities not only in the US but far beyond. We also thought President Obama would do more for Africa (where his father came from) and for Muslims (his father’s ‘relatives’), especially in the Middle East. Again, his association with towering academics, such as Edward Said and Rashid ...

A Quick Take on “Christian Persecution” in Nigeria By Muhsin Ibrahim The claim of Christian persecution in Nigeria reduces the insecurity issues we experience to a very simplistic narrative. I am glad and pleased that prominent Christian individuals, institutions, and associations have outright rejected the claim. Folks like Omoyele Sowore put aside their opposition to the Tinubu government and spoke the truth. Boko Haram’s bullets do not differentiate between Muslims and Christians. In fact, they, like their terrorist counterparts elsewhere, have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims. Their attack on the Kano Central Mosque remains one of the deadliest. The victims of banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, etc., are almost entirely Muslims! These beasts have attacked countless communities and mosques, often while people are praying. To my knowledge, no one has ever framed this as a religious persecution. The incessant clashes between farmers and herders in parts of the so-called Middle B...