How Not To Defend Islam

By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi

The world is full of ways to discourage people from taking the pure practice of the fastest growing, and religion of peace in the world – Islam.

There are the direct often confrontational and offensive approaches and the indirect or subtle approaches. The direct approaches include, but not limited to the styles of ‘The Army Of Christ’, which once claimed that Christians do not take money from politicians’.

The indirect approach includes the styles of Maitatsine, the Boko Haram, the Lakurawas, the Bandits, and the Kala Katos. These are not the subject of this article.

The subject is the approach the internet is saturated with, which is supposed to defend Islam against the constant attacks that the religion gets from the unbelieving quarters.

That approach is first, to sophistrily show where the Holy Quran is at fault, after which someone with a superior knowledge of the Arabic Language (like my good younger friend, Malam Yusha’u Mani who enjoys the benefit of both worlds of Arabic and English excellently. He speaks the languages like a native (grammatically and lexically) would now come and defend it in all the places it was firstly attacked.

The danger of this style of defence is its potential to confuse, mislead or even sow some doubt about the religion in the minds of those who do not understand the language (Arabic), like yours sincerely, or those who understand it rudimentarily.

So many people, essentially the youths, will welcome and take to this brand of preaching (shepherding), as many appear eager to finish with the compulsories of the religion and move on quickly to continue with their search of material things. The search for material things appears to preoccupy the attention of many people around the globe in this devil-dominated world of materialism. It is especially so in this poverty and hunger-ridden country of ours, Nigeria.

Many of the Islamic preachers have abandoned their spiritual calling for worldly enjoyment. They are more interested in having their own share of the National Cake, than what God will reward them with in the next world (hereafter). The spiritual duty is therefore left for NOVICES to take up, and do it as best as they possibly could.

Let me borrow and quote from a letter by the Kano-based organisation that goes by the name ‘Concerned Citizens Of Katsina State’. The organisation wrote on 30th of August, 2025, saying that “History is said to be a perpetuating process, with the past being a comedy at first, then a tragedy. Therefore, a region that witnessed the emergence and devastation of Maitatsine and Boko Haram groups, should be extremely wary of another group that has the potential to cause even greater devastation in the area, and the country in general.

“The Maitasine crisis occurred in Kano City in 1980, consuming the lives of 4,177 civilians, and scores of soldiers and police personnel with it. On its part, the Boko Haram group started in Maiduguri in 2002, before becoming a violent gang in 2009.

“By the way, most of these fringe groups were started by non-Muslims with the sinister motive to destroy Islam in the country, as evidenced in the mysterious emergence of Maitatsine in Kano State. The present insurgent groups are made up of sponsored non-Muslim druggists, who operate in the main under the guise of ‘purifying’ the religion, but murder more Muslims than non-Muslims.”

It is therefore my suggestion that the appropriate approach to use is the kind employed by the world-famous Ahmed Deedat of South Africa (now of blessed memory) and that of the equally famous pupil of his, Mufti Menk. The late Islamic preacher used comparative reasoning and thinking, smiling all along, to debate non-Muslims or just Defend Islam. The duo, one dead and the other alive, did not and do not, defend the religion as stated earlier in this write up.

May God continue to protect and promote Islam, the fastest growing religion, and by the accounts of some historians, including non-Muslims, of peace, in the world.

Malumfashi writes from Katsina