A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs that form the main or part of a religion or system of ideas.
As a notary public, Governor Bello Masari of Katsina State is in a position to propound and issue a doctrine which encapsulates, not only his personal system of ideas, but also the religion he subscribes to. Recently it was reported that bandits killed over 33 persons in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State. So came Batsari and Masari!
The Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally-Displaced persons, Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, paid a courtesy call on Governor Masari, after distributing relief materials to victims of the Batsari killings. It was reported that 42,000 persons affected by the killing spree received relief materials, ranging from food and grains, to household items.
Governor Masari, in a statement issued by Alkasim Abdulkadir, was quoted as saying as follows: “This is a barbaric and animalistic behaviour because the perpetrators of these crimes are like animals because they don’t have Western or Quranic education.
“These people are living with animals in the bush without any education, they behave like the wild animals in the bush”.
Whatever the motives, grouse or demands of the bandits for killing over 33 persons in the Batsari area of Katsina State, Nigerians were not told the identity or demands of the bandits. Be they herdsmen, Boko Haram terrorists or any other group of killers, Governor Masari called the perpetrators of the crime “Animals”.
It is a valid doctrine to say that it takes “Western or Quranic education” to turn an animal into a human being. It also follows logically that those “living with animals in the bush without any education” would be predisposed to behave like animals. Herdsmen come in!
The crux of the Masari doctrine lies in the validity of the fact that there is a difference between animals and humans. While Western or Quranic education would be a transforming factor in the status of humans, it also remains valid that those who live and interact daily with animals would be predisposed to behave more like animals than humans.
Let it be stated as a fact that it is not an easy task to become a human being. We can dismiss the platitude of some ignorant persons who assert that humans and animals have a common origin, with same innermost consistency. Those who know the hierarchies and structure of creation do know that humans have their origin in the spiritual sphere of existence.
With animals, the source of origin is lower and different, even though there are biological similarities in the physical functions of humans and animals. But the core differences are clear.
There is a difference between propounding a doctrine worthy of adherence, and being doctrinaire; this is where dogmatism, fanaticism and narrow-mindedness come in. In many cases, genuine doctrines propounded by serous minds are often turned into dogmatic platitudes by lazy and small-minded adherents. To turn a doctrine into a doctrinaire affair is to make assertions that your interpretation of a belief system is the complete truth, with no provision to review other opinions or alternative suggestions.
Jonathan Swift, author of an old book titled Gulliver’s Travels, accurately captured the mindset of dogmatism and fanaticism in the character of the Lilliputians. To engage in debates in the National Assembly on such issues as which side of an egg to start the breaking is a satirical symbolization of the grossest frivolity and little mindedness. An extention of the Masari doctrine would include the issues of dogmatism, ignorance, conceit, fanaticism, etc.
A major problem with animal-like frame of mind is the fact that people so predisposed are exploited and used by power merchants and empire builders as fool soldiers. When a human-animal is armed with deadly weapons, indoctrinated and sent out on a mission to kill without a motive borne of justice, the result is “Batsari Killings”. That mindless killings and acts of terrorism are getting out of hand in Nigeria can be attributed largely to a distortion of mindset.
What we know as Boko Haram, as terrorist extremists, is one such distorted mindset arising from religious fanaticism, coupled with animal-like ignorance. The fact that the perpetrators of the senseless killings are largely those that Governor Masari described as “living with animals in the bush” tells the story that such killers are more of animals than humans. Boko Haram, interpreted from Arabic, literally means “Away with Western education”.
Since the Masari doctrine recognizes the importance of “Western or Quranic education” as a means of transforming animal into human, it follows that Boko Haram sees Western education as inferior to Quaranic education. Since Quranic education is encapsulated in the Sharia, it would not be difficult to decode the message of Boko Haram.
Let us admit that the Movement of Sharia for Africa began long ago with Gadaffi’s Libya with a proposal for a United States of Africa. Some African leaders were enthused by the idea and the training of some normadic troops began. They lived with animals in the bush. Governor Masari’s doctrine deserves some serious attention. The era of military rule played a role, too.
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer from the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.