Shia Muslims around the world celebrated the Ashura holiday last week. Amidst the mass displays of public mourning for the death of Husain Ibn Ali, and the ritual self flagellation, some Nigerian Shia claimed they were discriminated against and attacked on the occasion.
“During the procession, we were attacked by security operatives in four different cities. We lost some of our brothers, while some were arrested and humiliated,” Muhammad Darazo, a member of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, told Al Bawaba. “The government sponsored hoodlums to rob and destroy our centers.”
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria is a Shia movement in the country. On Wednesday, they experienced clashes with security forces during Ashura celebrations, according to local media. In response, members began using the hashtag #IBelongToIMN on Twitter, and are speaking out against what they view as religious persecution and attacks on them.
On Twitter, some lamented the killings that took place.
All over the world there was peaceful demonstration of ashura, except for Nigeria, our leaders crave for our blood #IBelongToIMN #واحسيناه
Other tweets simply celebrated the holiday, as seen in this widely retweeted picture tweeted by Darazo.
This is not #Karbala, not Iran, not Iraq, not not not... This is Zaria, Nigeria. Can u see the reason behind the ban of IMN?#IBelongToIMN pic.twitter.com/bBrxruik1S
Days before Ashura, the governor of the state of Kaduna deemed them an unlawful organization. The movement is challenging the ruling.
“In reply to the governor, we decided to come up with the hashtag #IBelongToIMN. This hashtag is a show of resistance to the Kaduna governor and all other oppressors,” said Durazo.
There have been attacks against Islamic Movement of Nigeria members by state security forces in the past too, according to local reports. Moreover, in August, Al Jazeera reported that a public inquiry into the December 12 incident that left over 300 Nigerians dead was the result of “excessive force” by the Nigerian army.
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria is concentrated in the north of the country, and is led by its founder Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
The conflict between them and the state bares some parallels to the Sunni-Shia conflict in the Middle East. Darazo, for one, believes Saudi influence is in part to blame for the aforementioned ban. In addition, Zakzaky is an open admirer of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Adam Lucente
