This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

270611Z Feb 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
STATE FOR AF/W 
STATE FOR INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER SCUL SOCI NI
SUBJECT: YORUBA MOSLEMS TEMPERATE TOWARD WEST 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (SBU)  At a dinner hosted by a prominent leader of ethnic 
Yoruba Moslems at a USG-sponsored conference on Islam, 
Terrorism, and African Development, Yoruba elites generally 
set a tone of cooperation with the West and moderation in 
religious fervor.  This tone contrasted starkly with the 
presentation of National Assembly Speaker and Northerner, 
Aminu Bello Masari, who lambasted the U.S. and the West for 
hypocrisy and double-dealing.  While Yoruba Moslems tend 
toward moderation and peaceful coexistence with other 
religions, potential exists for more radical views to 
develop.  End Summary. 
 
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Yoruba Muslim Elites Stress Cooperation, Denounce Extremism 
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¶2.  (U)  On February 7, Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, the Aare 
Musulumi, or religious "president" of Yoruba Muslims, held a 
dinner in honor of scholars presenting papers at a USG 
sponsored conference entitled "Islam, Terrorism, and African 
Development" at the University of Ibadan (UI).  For the first 
time, a U.S. Ambassador was among his guests.  Arisekola is 
known for his past support of dictator Sani Abacha and for 
his relationship with political godfather Lamidi Adedibu, 
whose rift with Oyo State ex-Governor Ladoja caused the 
latter's impeachment.  Arisekola failed to reconcile the two 
figures, and has since begun to distance himself from Adedibu. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Arisekola's dinner was devoid of politics and 
controversy.  He spoke of unity and, in remarks directed to 
the Ambassador, denounced extremism of any kind, saying 75 
per cent of Ibadan residents were Muslim and each considered 
paramount their identity as peaceful, constructive members of 
the Ibadan community.  Along with the U.S. contingent, which 
included Sulayman Nyang, a visiting professor from Howard 
University, the audience consisted of religious leaders, 
representatives of Oyo, Lagos, Kano, and Zamfara state 
governments, professors from several universities, former 
diplomats, and eight professors sent from Egypt to teach 
Arabic, Sharia law, Sufism, and other subjects at UI. 
Attitudes in the room mirrored the host's speech and set a 
tone for cooperation; however, in a private conversation, 
Mohammed Umar, Head of Civil Service in Zamfara State, said 
the absence of consulates in the North had caused a 
noticeable rise in anti-Americanism there since his own 
childhood. 
 
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Top Government Officials Express Conflicting Views 
on the War Against Terrorism 
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¶4.  (U)  At the conference opening on February 8, the Zamfara 
State Governor, representatives of Kano and Oyo State 
governments, the UI Vice-Chancellor, and the chair of the 
Islamic Studies Department delivered speeches disavowing any 
connection between Islam and terrorism, expressing Islamic 
values of tolerance, and inviting dialogue with the West. 
 
¶5.  (U)  The Chief Whip of the National Assembly, speaking on 
behalf of Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, took a different tone, 
accusing the West, particularly the U.S., of hypocrisy both 
in its definition of terrorism and in its pro-democracy 
stance.  He claimed Africa's dependence on the West for 
financial assistance forced the continent to break ties with 
its spiritual brethren in the Middle East, and ultimately 
hindered African development.  He said the West has forced 
"an image of violence" on Islam and unjustifiably turned 
Islamic countries into international pariahs.  He linked 
terrorism to tensions arising from "dictatorial regimes 
created by the West," Western economic interests, and rising 
resistance to Western culture and control.  Terrorism, he 
said, is a phase of war outside of the trenches, in an arena 
where downtrodden, impoverished freedom fighters make a 
difference. 
 
¶6.  (U)  A representative of Uche Okeke, the Director-General 
of Nigeria's National Intelligence Agency, followed with a 
strong counter-argument that returned the conference to its 
collaborative tone.  While noting ambiguities in defining 
terrorism, he observed an increase of violent acts against 
innocent people in the name of religion since September 11, 
¶2001.  He said countries, like Nigeria, with poor educational 
systems, high unemployment, "increasing incidence of arms 
trafficking and trafficking in persons, money laundering," 
and weak security structures were fertile ground for 
terrorist recruiters.  He challenged conference-goers to 
"take bold decisions" and "send out a clear message to 
perpetrators of terror and those who inspire them that there 
is no place for them in Africa." 
 
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Muslim Outreach Campaign Stresses Dialogue, Unity 
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¶7.  (U)  As part of its Muslim outreach campaign in southern 
Nigeria, ConGen Lagos has hosted several fora to initiate 
dialogue on matters concerning religion, policy, and 
relations with the West.  As a result, 14 community leaders 
formed a committee, called Partnering for Peace and 
Development (PPD), to leverage support among Muslim elites 
for poverty reduction and educational improvement programs. 
PPD initially requested the Consulate to reach out to Muslim 
youths by sponsoring a panel discussion on growing up Muslim 
in America.  AgAtt and LegAtt have both agreed to participate. 
 
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Yoruba Culture Subsumes Yoruba Islam 
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¶8.  (U)  In general, Yoruba Muslims take a very moderate 
approach to issues that seem publicly to divide the U.S. and 
some elements of the Islamic world.  Thus, the relatively 
accommodating tenor of the conference in Ibadan is not 
surprising.  In his lecture, Professor Nyang said the 
Yorubas' strong cultural identity and unity have allowed them 
to overcome religious differences.  Yoruba Muslims generally 
do not refrain from Yoruba cuisine that might offend halal 
strictures.  Wedding songs are most often chanted in Yoruba, 
and wedding customs are firmly grounded in Yoruba traditions. 
 Three cities are often cited as the centers of Yoruba Islam: 
Ilorin in Kwara State, Iwo in Osun State, and Ekpe in Lagos 
State. 
 
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Public Schools Offer Little Attraction for Muslims 
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¶9.  (U)  For most of the last century, Yoruba Muslims have 
been insufficiently included and even the object of prejudice 
in the public schools.  Public school curricula often reflect 
Western, or Christian, learning and do not appeal to Muslims; 
most do not accommodate prayer times or incorporate Koranic 
learning.  However, public schools are often the primary 
system from which the government and the private sector cull 
their employees, disproportionately consigning more Muslims 
to the unemployment line.  In response to the bias of the 
public school system, Islamic organizations like Ansarudeen, 
around the time of Nigerian independence, began offering 
religiously-based, madrassah schooling.  As in the North, 
these private schools were poorly funded and held in private 
residences or mosques; teachers would have young students 
(10-14 years old) beg for food and supplies to keep the 
schools running.  This system is called "almajaris" and 
persists today, mainly in the North, and at its worst is a 
source for child labor and trafficking. 
 
¶10.  (U)  A recent study conducted by the Dean of the Faculty 
of Social Sciences at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, 
shows that in Ilorin, one of the centers of Yoruba Islam, 6 
of the 15 most prominent madrassahs were founded after 1980 
and report over 4,000 students.  These schools do not fall 
under Nigeria's Universal Basic Education (UBE) system, and 
their curricula are not state approved.  Olurode sees 
Nigerian education at a crossroads, where increasing pressure 
to assimilate has caused southern madrassahs to adopt more 
westernized curricula and charge fees.  At the same time, 
increasing costs associated with public schools, including 
books, uniforms, and transportation, are making madrassahs 
more reliant on foreign assistance and on religious leaders, 
foreign and indigene volunteers, for teachers.  The presence 
of Egyptian instructors at UI is not unusual, as Egypt is 
considered a major contributor to Nigerian religious schools 
at all levels; aid also comes in the form of book donations, 
direct financial support, and dawah (preachers). 
 
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Comment 
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¶11.  (SBU)  Yoruba Muslims are moderate and do not display a 
proclivity toward violent extremism.  They are frustrated by 
relative economic inequality and perceived hypocrisy on the 
part of the West, the U.S. in particular.  For example, a 
common joke among educated southern Nigerian Muslims is that 
America's present campaign for peaceful coexistence with 
Islam began with wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.  The 
school system, however, with its high expenses and perceived 
pro-Christian bias, continues to fuel irritation and reliance 
on madrassahs, providing other, more fundamentalist countries 
an opportunity to play a role in the upbringing of Yoruba 
Muslim children.  Nigeria's ability to equitably implement 
its UBE system and to bring some level of Islamic historical 
or cultural content into mainstream school curricula would be 
an enlightened act.  GON efforts in this direction should be 
encouraged.  End Comment. 
HOWE