Jihad not war of hate –Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has
condemned the conduct of some Muslims in the
country who engage in violence in the name of Jihad.
According to Aregbesola, from the history of life and
times of the Holy Prophet, Jihad has not and "is still
not a war of hate, destruction, indiscriminate, a
random war of a mandate that can be appropriated
by just about anyone".
Aregbesola, who said this on Saturday at a Ramadan
lecture organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic
Society at the Women Development Centre, Abuja,
also lamented the violent activities of the violent
Islamic sect, Boko Haram, describing it as "posturing
which was far from Islamic tenets and teachings".
In his lecture entitled, 'Islam, Education and the
Principles of Jihad', the governor said honest and
discerning Nigerian would testify to the fact that
what the group stands for does not approximate
Islam by any stretch of the imagination.
He said it somewhat represents a dynamics within
Islam which if not well managed, could affect the
perception of Islam by the larger world and its
fortunes in a changing world.
Meanwhile, Aregbesola, in Osogbo on Sunday, said
the appellation, 'Your Excellency' used to address
public office holders was an aberration of the
country's constitution and sycophantic.
Aregbesola, who stated this at public lecture,
maintained that the phrase was "introduced by the
political class wishing to segregate itself from the
common man."
The lecture was organised by Muslim Association of
Nigeria at the Osogbo City Hall, Osogbo.
The governor also faulted the use of 'Executive
Governor,' describing the phrase as repetitive.
He stressed that he was comfortable with being
addressed as a governor.