Abdullahi Jidda Calls for a Stronger Stand Against Extremism

Following the killing of Masussuka, Abdullahi Jidda has called for a stronger and more deliberate response to extremism, arguing that society must not ignore extremist ideas or tolerate intolerance in the name of avoiding extremism.

Jidda, a modernist from Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria, made the remarks in a Facebook post in which he challenged the tendency to dismiss concerns about extremism. According to him, the best way to confront extremism is not to ignore those who promote it, but to recognise and address the ideas and attitudes that encourage intolerance.

This is what he posted on his Facebook account:

I think the best way to deal with extremism is not ignoring extremists as some who view intolerance to extremism as another form of extremism like to posit it.

Extremists, when ignored, think they are right, this does not make them change but makes them more bold in their extremist outlook on life. Ignoring extremists isn't just counterintuitive but counterproductive and may even be another way of encouraging it.

Responding to extremists and countering their arguments anytime they express them is the best way to neutralize and make extremist ideas less attractive to anyone who thinks. I like to believe that the best antidote to extremism is not silence neither is it tolerance but radical liberalism.

Apparently, the best time to talk about tolerance is not when one group says all people must believe what they believe, must think how they do and practice what they practice. We talk about tolerance when disagreeing parties agree to disagree. Tolerance to Boko Haram is not tolerance, it is self-deception. And tolerance to people that live in town but fan boko haramic ideas is one of the worst forms of self-deception. Tolerating extreme ideas because someone says "you are also extremist in your approach to fighting extremism" is the most exquisite example of moral bankruptcy and atrophying moral compass.