12 December 2001

Traditional Muslim Ruler Decries Terrorist Attacks on U.S.

Kano, Nigeria -- The emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, admired by many both inside and outside Nigeria as a force for religious tolerance and political moderation, has decried the terrorist attacks by self-proclaimed Muslim extremists that killed thousands in America last September, saying: "Islam is against terrorism and against things that harm people. It is a religion of peace."

The traditional ruler, who has visited the United States many times, added that he would like to see more contacts between his countrymen and Americans, especially now that there is a "greater understanding" of Africa in the United States.

On December 10 the emir granted a rare interview to the Washington File.

The 71-year-old leader, who ascended to the throne in 1963, is the spiritual and traditional ruler of millions of Muslims in this northern Nigerian state. He is also a successful businessman, a former diplomat (high commissioner in Britain) and a former chief of police in Kano.

While long since divested of political power, the emir does receive an annual subsidy from the Kano State government, which helps, in part, to fund the operational expenses of his court and various religious and social programs he operates in Kano State.

The emir gave the interview in his ornate palace, constructed more than 700 years ago, located in the heart of this ancient walled city on the edge of the Sahara Desert.

After driving through the palace's main gate, with its elaborate portcullis, the Washington File party passed into a large courtyard, where they were met by the emir's retainers, including a herald trumpeter. They were then brought to an ornate room, one of the oldest in the palace, whose ceiling was painted with intricate geometric designs.

The party waited while the emir finished a session with local imams, who read and discussed verses from the Koran while reporting on conditions in the various districts of the city. In this almost timeless way have countless emirs garnered knowledge about the citizens of Kano, many of whom continue to look to the traditional ruler as a spiritual guide and powerful moral influence.

Escorted by the ruler's chief of protocol, the guests walked past a line of court ushers, dressed in ceremonial robes of green and red, who called out praises to the emir. Once in the dark audience chamber, the traditional ruler, sitting on his throne at one end of the room, bade his guests sit on his right while a half-dozen of his senior councilors sat in a row to his left.

The emir, who usually speaks through his chief of protocol on such occasions, honored the Washington File by responding directly to its questions.

Describing his first trip to the United States in 1971, as a guest of the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Program, the emir said: "I was invited by friends in Ohio and visited Ohio State University, which helped establish a teachers college here." The school later became the Federal College of Education in Kano.

"I also visited the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and met a lot of students." This was during the War in Vietnam, and the emir said he was struck by the freedom to criticize the government that flourished in America at that time.

"I was impressed also by meeting many black brothers in the United States who were very interested in Africa," he added.

"Of course, in the last 30 years a lot of things have changed" in America, the emir said. "Where there was once a lot of ignorance about Africa, now, when I go back to America, about every year, I see more understanding of Africa" by people of all colors.

The emir said he attended a meeting in the United States last year on international religious issues, held at United Nations headquarters in New York City.

It was there last September 11 that suicide teams of self-proclaimed Muslim extremists crashed two hijacked passenger airliners into the twin World Trade Center towers in Manhattan, collapsing both and burying more than 3,000 victims under their rubble.

The emir praised the visit President George Bush made to Washington, D.C.'s central mosque and Islamic center shortly after the attacks to reassure American Muslims that the war on terrorism was not a war on their faith.

The emir said: "There was the impression that it [the attacks] was something against Islam. So it was good that President Bush made the visit. It made a good impression all over the Islamic world."

During the visit of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to the White House on November 2, President Bush reiterated his stand on Islam, saying: "I assured him [Obasanjo], and assure those Muslims who live in his country, that the war that we now fight is against terror and evil. It's not against Muslims. We both understand that the Islamic faith teaches peace, respects human life, and [is] non-violent."