Almajiris represent Poverty and not Islam - Sultan Of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto  Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III has  on Sunday declared street begging by children, popularly known as Almajiri, unIslamic and a representation of hunger and poverty. Recall that 20 months of Former President Goodluck Jonathan assumption of office, he built 9 universities and 20 Almajiri schools across the country as a way of taking them out of the streets. But instead, President Muhammadu Buhari used them to vote out  Jonathan in 2015 as revealed by a All Progressives Congress, APC, Chieftain and serving Senator, Rabiu Kwankwaso.  The Sultan who is also the President-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam stated these in Kaduna while presiding over the pre-Ramadan meeting of JNI’s Central Committee, held at the JNI headquarters. Delivering his opening remarks, the Sultan said, the meeting would be discussing issues that affect Muslims and Islam in Nigeria and other parts of the world. While disclosing that, the issue of Almajiri would be among the challenges to address at the meeting, the Sultan said, “Almajiri does not represent Islam, but hunger and poverty”. He added, “Almajiri system of begging is not representing Islam and must therefore be distinguished from Islam. Islam encourages scholarship and entrepreneurship and frowns at laziness and idleness as exemplified by itinerant Almajiri. “Therefore attempt must be made to stop the practice Almajiri system of begging among Muslim faithfuls.” While noting that hunger and poverty were responsible for children begging on the streets, the Sultan charged the government, particularly at the state level to prioritise welfare of their citizens to address hunger and poverty. He also charged the state governments to strengthen institution of ‘Zakkat’ and endowment to address wanton poverty.