By Henry Umoru, ABUJA
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has explained that he has nothing against Islam and Muslims, revealing that he sponsors pilgrims to Mecca annually. And has been doing so for 25 years.
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According to Senator Akpabio, political detractors twisted what he said in the Senate during plenary on Tuesday during debate on motion to decriminalise suicide attempt, to pitch him against the Muslim community.
On Tuesday, during consideration of the bill sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), Akpabio said some young people contemplate suicide because “they believe seven virgins await them in the afterlife”.
His remarks sparked criticism from some commentators who accused him of denigrating Muslims.
Reacting on Thursday, Akpabio said: “I just want to drop a word of caution. When we discuss here, we discuss for and against and in the cause of our discussions, whatever we say should not anger anybody outside this chamber, because at the end what matters is our final decision.
“I’m saying this because when my brother, Senator Asuquo, brought a bill to discuss suicide, whether we should criminalise or decriminalise suicide, there were many comments that came out.
“And one of the comments that came out from the chair; a senator came here and said what about terrorists who believe that if they kill, they will go to heaven and seven virgins will be waiting for them.
“But I want you to know that terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others.
“The muslim religion that I know forbids suicide; it forbids killing. It does not even allow somebody to take his own life and if you look at the Quran, the Quran not only prohibits suicide; it also says that if you commit suicide, you will not enter into paradise.
“So if we are saying that if you kill that you have 14 or seven or 70 virgins waiting for you in paradise, you cannot even enter paradise if you commit suicide.
“So, people who are misinterpreting what we discuss here; I just want them to know that.
“Most of these people, more than 70 percent are not Nigerians; those who are destabilising the security of this country. You need to know that, and so when we come here, there is no way we can sit as fathers and mothers and then and encourage our children to go and commit suicide.
“I’m a catholic in the catholic religion and in Christianity, suicide is also forbidden in the penal code of this country; suicide is also forbidden. It’s even a criminal act. The same thing with the criminal code.
“You have to distinguish between suicide committed by people who are mentally disturbed and suicide intentionally committed by people who are physically sound. So anybody that thinks he is committing suicide by killing others because he wants to go to heaven and see virgins, there will be no virgin for you.
“So when people sit down in panels to dissect and discuss, I know this is a politically-charged period. I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the senate.
“We want to make the best laws, so we are bound to oppose each other, and we are also bound to support each other.
“Even as a governor, I sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land, and I know I sponsored more than 10,000 Christians to also go to Rome and also go to Jerusalem. Go and look at the people working for me.
“My ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognise him as a muslim. I recognise him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi State. The same thing with my CSO. Come and see the number of people working for me, and you’ll see that more than 65 percent of them are Muslims.
“There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion.”
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