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Table of Contents Biafra - who are they?  Politics of ‘Cut and Paste’ Amorphous Amalgamation   The consideration that Southeast/South-South is marginally included in Nigeria's mainstream politics is debatable. This paper argues that the marginalization of the Southeast of Nigeria was the reason for the civil strife that led to the blown-out war.   Biafra - who are they?  Historically, the Republic of Biafra was an unrecognized country in West Africa from 1967 –1970. Territorially, it covers over 29,848 square miles of land. It shared boundaries with Nigeria in the north and west, and with Cameroon in the east, and its coast was on the Gulf of Guinea in the south. Today, former Biafra is made up of the following Nigerian states, namely: Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers. Delta state wasn’t included during the late Biafran’s leader Odumegwu Ojukwu's decree founding Biafra, however, the Igbo-speaking areas of today’s Del...

Table of Contents Why the Initiative of Self-determination? The Latin phrase  ‘ius cogens’  (meaning ‘compelling law’) is a fundamental principle of international law that is accepted as a norm by all member states of the United Nations (UN) and cannot be suppressed by any power. The principle of self-determination is a charter of the UN that states that a people, community, or nation has the right to choose its political identity, form of government, the exercise of sovereignty, and independent external relations with no interference.  The UN is charged with the burden of interpreting the charter’s principle. As such the principle of self-determination is one of those compelling laws. Why the Initiative of Self-determination? It was a response to curb the authoritarianism of the era and enthrone equality, liberty, and freedom. The idea began with the American and French revolutions in the 18th century. Shortly after WWI, Woodrow Wilson conceived the idea of self-determin...

Table of Contents Supreme Being (Worships and Venerations) Mulungu   Mumbi  Mwatuangi  Ngai  Asa  Ancestors Totems Here is a brief account of the religious beliefs of the Akamba. Spanning through Central Bantu, the Akamba ethnic group is estimated to be about 4.4 million people and occupies Southeastern Kenya in areas, such as Kangundo, Kibwezi, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni and Mwingi Districts and the Ukamba. A swathe of the Akamba population can also be found in the Mazeras and Kwale Districts of the Coast Province in Shiba Hills. The Akamba languages are Kikamba and Swahili. Globally, the Akamba are not exclusively a Kenyan or African tribe. They can be found in Uganda, Tanzania, and Paraguay, which makes it partly an indigenous group and partly an autochthonal group. Argument from migration theory suggests that Akamba came from Kilimanjaro (a word that means ‘mountain of whiteness’), basing their arguments on the similarity of certain cultural features with the...

Table of Contents The People of the Book Freedom of Worship – The Legal Tradition Jews and Christians and other Protected Communities under Muslim State Dhimmis The ringing of Church Bells Conclusion Understanding the term  dhimmi(s)  (i.e., the status and treatment of Jews, Christians, and other protected religious communities) and its usage in the Qur’an will help us understand the levels of tolerance, acceptance, and pluralism in the Qur’an especially when it comes to  Ahl al-Kitab  (that is, the people of the book). Arguably and theologically though, mere possession of sacred Books, practising monotheism, and claiming the faith of Abraham already mark them (Muslims, Jews, Christians) as people of (one) the book. Examining the term  dhimmis  and the Qur’anic stipulation will throw some light on the relationship between Muslims and other bodies of the people of the book. Some clarifications are required here, especially with the term, the people of the bo...

Table of Contents Islamic Core Sources Sources of Qur’anic exegesis Methodological Issues Hadith Conclusion Dealing with the issue of methodology when it comes to the concept of Tawhid, there is a need to understand Islamic core sources. The reason for this is that when verses of the Qur’an are cited, at times, the  Sunna  of the Prophet or the  Hadith  is introduced while explaining the Surah or Ayat. Or even, the  tafsirs  are used to communicate further the meaning of the Surah or Ayat.  Islamic Core Sources To understand and analyze the concept of Tawhid, the core sources are indispensable.    Islamic methodologies follow some defined scientific tools: Ilm al-Tafsir (hermeneutics); ‘Ilm al-Hadith (the science of Hadith); Usul al-Fiqh (principles of law), and the Arabic language. These scientific tools are developed to understand the Qur’an more. A ccording to Shafi: “the literal meaning of  tafs...

Table of Contents What is Hadith? Prophetic and Sacred Hadith The distinction between Sacred Hadith and Prophetic Hadith Terminus ad quem Holy Qur'an Divine Nature of Sacred Hadith Form of Recording the Sacred Hadith Sunna of the Prophet This piece of writing aims to describe the life and faith of a Muslim from the perspectives of the hadith and  Sunna  of the prophet. Generally, as part of a Muslim’s conventional living comes from their traditions, their behaviour is supposedly modelled on the examples of the prophet. Therefore, in this piece, we will seek to understand what a hadith is, the distinctions between prophetic and sacred hadiths, and what is understood as the  Sunna  of the prophet. What is Hadith? In the footnote of the book titled  Forty Hadith Qudsi , Ibrahim and Johnson-Davies noted that: Hadith often rendered as “Tradition”, are the recorded words, actions and sanctions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Arabic plural of the word hadith...