Prophet Mohammed’s cousin, Zakzaky’s tape recorders – and other facts about Shi’ites

Not many Nigerians outside the north-west knew a lot about the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) until December 12, 2015. That was the day the army announced that members of the movement tried to assassinate Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant general and the chief of army staff. In the days that followed, hundreds of IMN members were killed. Their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (pictured), was arrested and evidently brutalised.

There are fears that if the movement is forced to go underground through the use of raw force by the security agencies, Nigeria may end up with a worse version of Boko Haram. IMN members, who are also referred to as Shia, Shi’a or Shi’ites, number millions — far more than the followership of Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (“Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad”), otherwise known as Boko Haram.

What else do you know about the Shi’ites?

Prophet Mohammed’s cousin as his successor

There are two major branches of Islam — Shi’ites and Sunnis. While Sunnis believed that Prophet Mohammed’s father-in-law, Abu Bakr, was his successor after the prophet’s death, Shi’ites said it was Ali ibn Abi Talib that was chosen by Allah. That was the point of departure. Ali was cousin to Prophet Mohammed (SAW). Ali was also his son-in-law, having married Fatimah, the prophet’s daughter.

Shi’ites means ‘followers’

The full name of the group is Shīʻatu ʻAlī — or “followers of Ali”. It is shortened to Shia and its other variants. It is the second largest branch of Islam with a global population estimated at 13% of global Muslim population. Most Shi’ites live in Iran, Iraq, India and Pakistan. Nigeria is hosting a growing Shi’ite population, with various figures putting it at between 3 million and 5 million. Although they are present in many northern states and some parts of the south-west, most of them live in the Kaduna/Kano/Sokoto axis.

They own schools and hospitals

The Shi’ites in Nigeria see themselves as a distinct entity with allegiance to Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, whose allegiance is in turn to the leadership of Iran. They have their own schools and hospitals all over the north. They also, worryingly, have their own “soldiers” who undergo “military drills” and guard Zakzaky. This has seen them clash with Nigerian authorities from time to time, including in the 1980s and 1990s under military regimes. They usually block the road during their yearly processions. Troops have often sought to force them off the road, leading to the use of firearms. Zakzaky has lost his three sons to these clashes. The latest crisis was also caused by the blockage of a road Buratai wanted to use.

You’re on tape!

Zakzaky hardly trusts anyone who is not a member of his movement, so he records all interviews with his own voice recorders to avoid being misquoted. A BBC correspondent who encountered him in 2012 wrote: “Throughout our encounter, the vagueness of some of Sheikh Zakzaky’s answers – perhaps driven by his apparent mistrust of the media, he separately recorded our conversation in order not to be misquoted – not only leaves many of his statements open to interpretation but also creates the perception he may have something to hide.”

IMN vs Boko Haram? A’uzu billahi!

Boko Haram, an Islamic Sunni group allied to the Islamic State, has vowed to wipe out the Shi’ites from Nigeria, describing them as heretics. They recently claimed responsibility for bombing a Shi’ite procession. The Shi’ite responded, declaring that nobody can wipe them out. However, there is a hidden danger. The Shi’ites see themselves as a persecuted minority in Nigeria. No prominent Muslim leader is a Shi’itee. They believe the majority Sunni, including President Muhammadu Buhari, are using their political powers to clamp down on them in order to wipe them out of Nigeria.

IMN, meanwhile, has the full backing of Iran, a Shi’ite majority country. The sectarian crisis that has torn Iraq to shreds for a decade is primarily between Shi’ites and Sunnis, fuelled – it is believed – by Iran. If the Sunnis and Shi’ites decide to fight a proxy war in Nigeria through IMN and Boko Haram, Nigeria could be heading for a worse crisis. As Muslims would say, “A’uzu billahi” (“God protect us!”).