Sanusi Slams Nothern Muslims Over Almajiri System

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll, says 60 years after independence, Northern Muslims are still under colonisation.
Naija News Understands that the emir made the statements at a public film screening of the docudrama on the Almajiri system titled “Duniya Juyi-Juyi” (How life goes) and the launching of the book “Qur’anic schools in Northern Nigeria” produced by a German, Hannah Hoechner.

https://twitter.com/MR_FRANK20/status/1035817360735854592

the Emir also  lamented the classification of Qur’anic scholars as illiterates, and their itinerant students as “out of school children“. Arguing that since literacy means “reading and writing” the almajiri should be recognised as literate.

Mr Sanusi said if almajiri students can read and write in Arabic or Ajami (Hausa writing in Arabic text), they are literate.

He recalled that almajiri system has been in existence for the past 500-600 years ago, when “Emir Muhammad Rumfa of Kano used to send people to Borno and Mauritania to learn Qur’anic education and Islamic jurisprudence”.

The emir also  traced a history of sabotaging almajiri system to the colonial era. He said in an effort to fight Islamic civilisation, “a missionary Reverend Miller wrote a letter to Lord Luggard advising him to ban the use of Arabic and Ajami in official communication”.

“It is high time for Muslims to pursue real independence because we are still under colonisation, because our culture and language does not have any value in the scheme of things.

“No matter the number of Islamic books you read in Arabic or through almajiri system, as long as it is not English, you are illiterate according to Nigeria’s system of education,” Mr Sanusi argued.
The Emir finally  called for the review of education policy in Nigeria to capture the almajiri system. He argued that 60 years of colonialism “should not be the reason of neglecting 600 years civilisation.”

The Emir also questioned the wisdom of making English language a pre-requisite for securing admission to study Arabic or Hausa in Nigerian universities. He therefore advocated  for the use of indigenous languages as medium of instruction in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions “as done in China, Egypt, Malaysia and other developing countries”.

“I am not saying English is not important, but I strongly disagree to narrow education to mastering English. I learnt English, and I am enjoying it. But mastering English alone is not education.

“Recently, Lagos State has enacted a law which makes Yoruba language as a pre-requisite of securing admission into state owned tertiary institutions. I call on Northern governors to emulate China, Malaysia and Egypt who teach medicine, engineering, agriculture and other critical courses in their language.”

https://twitter.com/solomonapenja/status/1035895576930463744

Almajiri is a system of Islamic education practiced in northern Nigeria. Almajiri is gotten from an Arabic word “Al-Muhajirun” which means a person who leaves his home in search of Islamic knowledge. The sysem has, however, been bastardised with many of the children left to beg for food and money on the streets by the Islamic teachers.

You deserve a great praise for this statement – Emir Sunusi

Northern Muslims still under colonisation – Emir Sanusihttps://t.co/Q2plr0UTci pic.twitter.com/mLRa6JedMK

— Haruna Dankoli (@Haruna_Dankoli) September 1, 2018