The first Igbo Muslim to be appointed as Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque, Prof. Iliyasu Usman, has said that he accepts the good aspects of Igbo culture while rejecting the bad ones that are not in line with his Islamic faith.
 
Usman stated this, yesterday, during his unveiling ceremony as one of the Imams of the National Mosque, Abuja, alongside four others, by the Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede. 
 
Usman, who is the first Professor of Arabic in Igbo land, hails from Enugu State. The other four new Imams are, Prof. Luqman Zakariyah (Osun State), Dr. Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman (Kwara State), Bar. Haroun Muhammad Eze (Enugu State) and Prof. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar (Plateau State).
 
Clarifying that he has not lost his Igbo roots despite being a Muslim, Usman noted that every tribe and individual has a culture, adding that these cultures have both positive and negative aspects.

“I want to say this unapologetically. Every tribe has a culture and every individual has a culture whether you are Muslim or Christian. In every culture, there are positives and negatives”.

For instance, in Igbo land, there was a time when twins were killed because they were seen as abominations in the society and we know that even a practising Christian would not accept this kind of culture.
 
“For instance, as a Muslim, my religion prohibits me from indulging in alcoholism and I know that part of my culture is that whenever we have festivals, alcohol is consumed. As a Muslim, this kind of culture is an abomination because my religion prohibits it. 
 
“So, in every tribe, there are good and bad cultures. I accept good Igbo culture. In the South-East, we have good communal relationships where we are our brothers’ keepers. I accept that.