Davido

By Muhammad Ubale Kiru

I am glad it happened. I am talking about the controversy around a video song of people dancing in front of a mosque on their praying mats soon after they supposedly finish their prayers. And, Davido shared the offensive video on his timeline on Twitter.

Some individuals mindlessly follow these singers, imitating their style of dressing, adopting their haircuts, imitating their mannerisms, and even trying to talk and walk like them. This has been an issue we have repeatedly addressed.

These musicians often lack respect for your culture and faith; their apparent affection towards their fans is often just a façade. Despite the video causing an uproar on the internet, Davido has refused to take it down, showing how far some of these artists are willing to go to offend others.

Mocking Islam in the manner Davido did is the last thing he should have done. As I have always said, there seems to be a tendency to test the limits of our tolerance. If he faces no consequences this time, he may repeat such actions in the future, and others might follow suit.

I must point out that our Yoruba brothers are not doing justice to Islam either. Many Yoruba comedians also indulge in mocking Islam in similar ways. One example is the well-known comedian Aisha Ibrahim, who partakes in blasphemous shows for entertainment. Regrettably, her Yoruba elders are doing nothing about it. There must be a clear distinction between cultural expression and religious beliefs.

On the other hand, our Christian counterparts must understand that not everything falls under the category of freedom of speech, and not all forms of expression are acceptable. We are often accused of religious intolerance, but how can we be expected to tolerate disrespect towards our faith?

For instance, if a film producer were to create a movie disrespectfully portraying Jesus, such as Jesus being depicted as gay or as a masquerade, that may be a concern for the Christian community, as it may not show proper respect for Jesus (peace be upon him). In Islam, we take such matters very seriously, as our faith prohibits the mockery of other religions.

Let us all strive to stay within the limits of decency and respect. Honouring and respecting other people’s faiths and cultures is crucial, even as we express our own beliefs.

Muhammad Ubale Kiru is a tech enthusiast, social activist and freelancer. He can be reached via muhdujkiru@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

In style similar to that of the popular Nigerian musician Davido, a Kannywood producer Lawal Ahmad also took to his Instagram and Facebook pages to announce his appeal for donations from his fans.

He said, “Today, I also want to be honoured by my fans courtesy of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” He afterwards stated his account details, comprising the account number, account name and bank.

You may recall that Davido on Monday was able to raise more than one hundred million naira in less than 24 hours after asking, jovially, those whom he had given a “hit song” to send him money. As of the time of filing this report, money still hits his account.

The famous musician has been sharing his bank account dashboard screenshots, displaying his name and account balance, which significantly increases whenever he uploads a new screenshot.

This has become a new trend as many other social media users follow suit to appeal for money—though sometimes jokingly.

Lawan Ahmad could be the first person to have made such an appeal in the Kano-based Hausa film industry history.

Checks on the timeline of the producer carried out by the Daily Reality show that he has started receiving money, albeit much smaller amounts compared to Davido’s.