Aisha Buhari (pictured above), the wife of Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari, who was in Enugu for some charity event, paid a brief visit to Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, a catholic priest who runs the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN). Father Mbaka, as he is popularly known, controversially did an about-face on the Jonathans (Nigeria's immediate past president and his wife) in the middle of the campaigns for the March 28th 2015 presidential election which brought Buhari into power. He had previously prayed publicly for the Jonathans, but just months later gave them a public dressing-down.
Nigerians are probably wondering if Mrs Buhari's visit is not a veiled peace move from the presidency, although she may very well be acting alone, being more politically savvy, and, of course, much more graceful than her notoriously crass predecessor.
While Mrs Buhari's move may be wholly political, it does raise some questions, especially when one considers the religious differences between Mrs Buhari and her host. Is it not haram for a muslim woman to be seen in public with a man (muslim or not) who is not her relative? Is it not also forbidden for a muslim woman to shake hands with a man who is not her relative? Atena Farghadani, an Iranian artist, was charged, along with her lawyer, for shaking hands with him. She was already serving a 12-year sentence when she committed the 'crime' of shaking hands with her lawyer who was not her relative, and potentially faces additional jail time. What will be Mrs Buhari's 'punishment' for shaking hands with Mr Mbaka?
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