History is not a series of isolated events; it is a connected chain. What unfolds today is often the echo of what was set in motion centuries ago. Colonisation, Christianisation, and modern Americanisation are not merely past or neutral processes, they are historical forces that have repeatedly intersected with, and in many cases targeted, Islamic civilisation and Muslim societies across the world.
The fall of the Ottoman Empire was not accidental. It marked the collapse of the last widely recognised political shield of the Muslim world. Its end reshaped global power, enabled Western dominance, and paved the way for new geopolitical arrangements including the establishment of the state of Israel after prolonged crusader ambitions and colonial manoeuvring. These developments were reinforced by missionary activities that accompanied colonial expansion, serving as the cultural and ideological arm of imperial rule.
In Nigeria, Christian missionaries played a central role in the spread of Western education. However, this education was not freely offered. For many Yoruba Muslims, access came with conditions: conversion or compromise of faith. Refusal often meant exclusion. As a result, Yoruba Muslims were educationally marginalised during a crucial period of social transformation.
Yet, Yoruba Muslims resisted. They struggled for educational freedom, established independent Muslim schools, and demanded equal treatment. Eventually, government policies helped reduce this discrimination, but the scars of that era remain visiadvancemen in uneven educational advancement, institutional weakness, and lack of consolidated leadership among Yoruba Muslims.
Northern Muslims faced colonisation with a different structure. Despite wars and pressure from colonial masters, they retained a central religious authority-the Sultanate. This single symbol of unity allowed them to negotiate power, preserve religious identity, and maintain cohesion. Over time, political and economic structures evolved largely in their favour. Today, regardless of national crises or unfolding events, northern Muslims enjoy a level of institutional backing and political protection which Yoruba Muslims failed to achieve.
The current global climate is filled with carefully constructed narratives. Claims of โChristian genocide,โ selective outrage, and distorted media framing are not isolated incidents; they form part of a broader ideological struggle following the failure of outright missionary domination in places like Nigeria. When conversion fails, confrontation narratives often emerge.
These developments are not random. They mirror historical patterns: cultural pressure when political dominance is challenged, propaganda when ideological expansion stalls.
Yoruba Muslims today face a unique challenge. They possess no central authority, no unified voice, and no coordinated leadership capable of responding to global or national shifts. In a world moving rapidly toward a new geopolitical and ideological era, fragmentation is dangerous.
History shows that communities without organisation become victims of circumstances they did not create. Faith alone is not enough; direction, coordination, education, and unity are essential.
Every major transformation the world is witnessing today has roots in the past. Nothing is unfolding without precedent. Those who ignore history are often forced to repeat its tragedies.
For Yoruba Muslims, the moment calls for sober reflection rather than fear, strategic unity rather than emotional reaction, and institutional rebuilding rather than complacency. The future will not be kind to communities that remain divided, silent, or unprepared.
The new era approaching will reward organisation and punish fragmentation. Yoruba Muslims must therefore rise with clarity, unity, and purpose, not in hostility, but in self-preservation and dignity.
History has spoken before. It is speaking again. The question is whether it will be heard.
The Grand mufti of Yorubaland
Sheikh Daood Imran Molaasan
