5 BILLION NAIRA FOR INAUGURATION?

PRESS RELEASE: BILLIONS FOR INAUGURATION? A FATHER CHRISTMAS SYNDROME    The Federal Government of Nigeria is reportedly planning to spend billions of naira on the inauguration ceremonies of the new administration billed to take place this weekend. According to the Sahara Reporters website, about five billion naira has already been set aside for this exercise. Another source alleges only one billion naira would be spent.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly condemns this spendthrift propensity. It is outright thoughtlessness and inexplicable insensitivity on the part of the Federal Government to allocate such a huge amount to the inauguration of a new administration. One billion naira sounds too extravagant when less than a quarter of a billion naira would have achieved more positive results. Five billion naira is an expensive joke. Nigeria is being taken to the cleaners right from the start!   The Jonathan regime appears to be sending the wrong signal to the suffering jamaheer (poor masses) that it is here to set off an era of waste. This is a dangerous precedent as ministries and parastatals are likely to emulate this Father Christmas mentality.   Have Nigerian workers started receiving the N18,000.00 minimum wage which was approved more than a year ago? No state government has paid that amount up till now. Even the N18,000.00 as a take-home pay cannot take them home. Neither can it ensure three square meals for them and their families. Paying the school fees of their children and wards is out of the question. House rents have already eaten up workers' pay. Inflation bites hard on a daily basis. Policies such as this widens the gap between the government and the governed, between the employers and the proletariat, between the 'haves-and-the-have-nots'.   The contracts for the inauguration which will gulp billions are going to cronies, court jesters and bootlickers. These are the oppressors of our society. They are the people who can afford to pay one million naira per term for their children's school fees in primary and secondary schools. It creates a situation where too few people have too much while too many have nothing. A super-elitist society has already emerged and this clique, this 'tiny cabal', is being nurtured by Jonathan's administration. It is too early for us to start getting this negative signal. Nigerians don't really deserve this kind of treatment.     How does President Goodluck Jonathan expect workers to receive the news of the huge sum of money billed for his inauguration? The poor workers whose sweat produced the wealth of the nation cannot even smell the aroma of those delicious but wasteful dishes at the state dinners being planned. Neither would they attend the expensive mundane and religious inauguration programmes.   MURIC cautions the Federal Government against extravagance. What Nigerians need is food on their tables, stable electricity, good roads, effective public transport system, qualitative education, an enduring public health scheme and a dependable security system, not extravagance, not waste, not pomp and pageantry.   Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

INVITATION TO JOIN MURIC

Friends, well-wishers, join me in promoting the rights of Muslims everywhere in the world. The world will know peace if there is justice in the land. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is committed to achieving global peace through dialogue. Our avowed motto is 'DIALOGUE, NOT VIOLENCE'. We already have members from all parts of the world. Join our Yahoo Group today by sending your name, telephone number and email address to my Facebook. This invitation is open to all your Muslim friends too. Please invite them. Salaam. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

NATO ATTACKS ON LIBYA

NATO ATTACKS ON LIBYAN SHIPS   NATO war planes struck Libyan warships Friday 20 April. Libya insisted that its ships had never been involved in the conflict. We note with great interest the fact that those ships were stationary before they were struck. It is equally interesting that America and NATO in a trans-Atlantic conspiracy has systematically debilitated Libya's military capacity.   Both the US and NATO pretend to be engaged in a chivalrous military campaign in support of the rebels whereas the control of Libyan oil is the hidden agenda. America in particular is in Libya for its 'unfinished business'. We must recall that America under Ronald Reagan bombed Libya in 1986 in a futile attempt to kill Ghaddafi but ended up killing his grandson instead.   How much of Muslim blood is now in the hands of the West? Why are they always in a hurry to strike Muslim nations? We note also that the West is very keen on attacking Ghaddafi because he is the only Arab leader who has refused to serve as a crony to the West. He has been highly critical of Western neo-colonial manouvers and has always publicly challenged the West's positions on international issues.   The African Union has condemned NATO's strikes and urged it to halt them. But the appeal has fallen on deaf ears. America and NATO are definitely abusing their military might. It is aggression of the mighty and powerful over the weak. It is the manifestation of the five evils of which Chamberlain had spoken: brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

OBAMA KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH ISRAEL

OBAMA KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH ISRAEL   American President Barrack Obama proposed on Thursday that Israel should go back to its pre-1967 boarders. Of course visiting Isreali president has rejected Obama's idea as "indefensible". This is coming after years of fruitless negotiations initiated by the Obama administration.   We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) are not deceived. Obama knows how defiant Israel can be. Yet he knows what the US did in Iraq. He knows what America has been doing in Afghanistan for the past eight years to date. Everyone knows what America and NATO are doing presently in Libya. The whole world knows what is done to nations that defy world opinion. The truth is that Israel is sacrosanct, untouchable!   Israel has defied hundreds of UN resolutions without facing a single sanction. Almost all Arab countries promoting the cause of Islam are facing sanctions from America and the UN. Where then is the 'change' promised by Obama? The US is known for its jet-speed sanctions on Muslim nations. Yet no single sanction has been pronounced on Israel. Even ordinary UN condemnation of Israeli criminal action against civilian population is always vetoed by the US. Is this Western sense of justice? And, by extension, is this your democracy?   Obama's Thursday pronouncement is therefore calculated to placate Arabs and Muslims... a barren political statement. Obama knows how to add meaning to his statements. If Obama is serious about peace in the Middle East, then the US should sponsor a new UN resolution recognizing the pre-1967 boarders for Israel, create a buffer zone in the region and get NATO troops to maintain the buffer.   We have never heard of threats of sanctions against Israel for defying world opinion. Obama should not only threaten Israel with sanctions but he should actually impose it on that country as he has done with Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc. Why is it that only Arab and Muslim nations face Western sanctions?   On the other hand, MURIC finds the actions of Arab leaders ridiculous. They cannot even tell America exactly what they want. What a pity! Imagine how they divide themselves and allow the West to descend heavily on one Arab or Muslim country after another. It was Afghanistan day before yesterday. Yesterday it was Iraq. Today it is Libya. Tomorrow it is going to be Iran. After tomorrow.....? It is aggression ad infinitum!   We are waiting for the BIG ONE: the bombing of Makkah and Madina from the air and subsequent invasion of its territories (perhaps Britain or France will wake up one day and accuse Saudi Arabia of violating the rights of its own citizens, amassing WMD, torturing opposition elements, etc). They always have 'evidence'.   We have no iota of doubt that this has become a systematic, highly sophisticated 21st century crusade. The only way for Obama and other Western leaders to prove to us that this is not so is to treat Arab and Muslim nations with respect. As for now, we expect the worst from the West. Justice from that block will be a shocker.   MURIC says to Obama, "Mr. President, if you know what to do with Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, etc, you surely know what to do with Israel". Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

OBAMA KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH ISRAEL

OBAMA KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH ISRAEL   American President Barrack Obama proposed on Thursday that Israel should go back to its pre-1967 boarders. Of course visiting Isreali president has rejected Obama's idea as "indefensible". This is coming after years of fruitless negotiations initiated by the Obama administration.   We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) are not deceived. Obama knows how defiant Israel can be. Yet he knows what the US did in Iraq. He knows what America has been doing in Afghanistan for the past eight years to date. Everyone knows what America and NATO are doing presently in Libya. The whole world knows what is done to nations that defy world opinion. The truth is that Israel is sacrosanct, untouchable!   Israel has defied hundreds of UN resolutions without facing a single sanction. Almost all Arab countries promoting the cause of Islam are facing sanctions from America and the UN. Where then is the 'change' promised by Obama? The US is known for its jet-speed sanctions on Muslim nations. Yet no single sanction has been pronounced on Israel. Even ordinary UN condemnation of Israeli criminal action against civilian population is always vetoed by the US. Is this Western sense of justice? And, by extension, is this your democracy?   Obama's Thursday pronouncement is therefore calculated to placate Arabs and Muslims... a barren political statement. Obama knows how to add meaning to his statements. If Obama is serious about peace in the Middle East, then the US should sponsor a new UN resolution recognizing the pre-1967 boarders for Israel, create a buffer zone in the region and get NATO troops to maintain the buffer.   We have never heard of threats of sanctions against Israel for defying world opinion. Obama should not only threaten Israel with sanctions but he should actually impose it on that country as he has done with Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc. Why is it that only Arab and Muslim nations face Western sanctions?   On the other hand, MURIC finds the actions of Arab leaders ridiculous. They cannot even tell America exactly what they want. What a pity! Imagine how they divide themselves and allow the West to descend heavily on one Arab or Muslim country after another. It was Afghanistan day before yesterday. Yesterday it was Iraq. Today it is Libya. Tomorrow it is going to be Iran. After tomorrow.....? It is aggression ad infinitum!   We are waiting for the BIG ONE: the bombing of Makkah and Madina from the air and subsequent invasion of its territories (perhaps Britain or France will wake up one day and accuse Saudi Arabia of violating the rights of its own citizens, amassing WMD, torturing opposition elements, etc). They always have 'evidence'.   We have no iota of doubt that this has become a systematic, highly sophisticated 21st century crusade. The only way for Obama and other Western leaders to prove to us that this is not so is to treat Arab and Muslim nations with respect. As for now, we expect the worst from the West. Justice from that block will be a shocker.   Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

SHAYKH LEMU OR NO PROBE PANEL

19th May, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: SHAYKH LEMU OR NO PROBE PANEL     The northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has rejected the appointment of Shaykh Ahmad Lemu as the chairman of the probe panel on the post-election violence which broke out in some states of Northern Nigeria after the presidential election held in April 2011. The probe panel was set up by the Federal Government to find out the remote and immediate causes of the violence.   We consider northern CAN's rejection of Lemu's headship of the panel a dangerous dimension. CAN hinged its rejection on the fact that Shaykh Lemu was one of the Muslim leaders who were behind the introduction of Shari'ah into the northern states of Nigeria. This position exposes CAN as intolerant, extremist, impatient and unforgiving.     We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) take CAN's position with a pinch of salt. By using this parochial barometer, CAN has introduced sentiment, religious bigotry and outright blackmail into the controversy surrounding the probe panel. Every single Nigerian belongs to one religion or another. In most cases it is either a Christian or a Muslim that is appointed to posts.   Does it mean that all the noise about the need for us to avoid using religion as a parameter is all balderdash? Was the whole exercise a CAN agenda ab initio and the rest of us were just fooled into believing that religious politics must be avoided at all cost? What was the crime committed by Shaykh Lemu that he should be disqualified from heading a probe panel? Now we know that CAN is neither tolerant, nor is it willing to learn to live with its Muslim neighbours.   CAN's argument that it was not consulted before the panel was constituted holds no water. It merely exposes its hidden agenda, namely, to constitute the remote control room on government's decisions. The post-election probe panel is not a Christian-Muslim affair. Was the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs consulted? Shaykh Lemu was picked on merit. Why is CAN turning it into a religious controversy? Obasanjo's government did not consult the Sultan when he removed Arabic from the naira and heaven did not fall.   MURIC will not allow any group, no matter how elitist, to strangulate the polity. We totally reject CAN's dictatorial mien. We assert clearly, categorically and unambiguously that Shaykh Lemu, like any other qualified Nigerian, has the Allah-given and fundamental right to serve his country in his area of competence.   We therefore call on the Federal Government to ignore the rantings of CAN and to go ahead with the appointment of Shaykh Lemu as the Chairman of the probe panel. We warn that CAN has stirred the hornet's nest and any attempt by the Government to bend to CAN's wish will show Nigerians where the pendulum of this government is swinging. Nigerian Muslims will not be satisfied with the replacement of Shaykh Lemu with another Muslim. It is therefore Shaykh Lemu or no probe panel.   Even the rationale for the probe panel is clouded in controversy. We nurse fears about the futility of probe panels given the history of such exercises in the past. The reports of many probes end up in the dustbin after the initial hue and cry. Secondly, we share the fear of a large section of the Nigerian populace that the present Federal Government as constituted lacks the moral right to set up such a probe panel because the government itself is deeply involved.   The violence was an expression of anger against the ruling party and the same party lacks the moral locus standi to sit in judgment or to set up a panel to investigate a case in which it has vested interest. How fair can a ruling party's probe panel be when the crux of the probe is violence which erupted in protest against its victory? Already, the opposition is alleging victimization.   To our mind, therefore, only a neutral and international body like the United Nations or the African Union can constitute a credible probe panel into the post-election violence of April 2011. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

SHAYKH LEMU OR NO PROBE PANEL

19th May, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: SHAYKH LEMU OR NO PROBE PANEL     The northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has rejected the appointment of Shaykh Ahmad Lemu as the chairman of the probe panel on the post-election violence which broke out in some states of Northern Nigeria after the presidential election held in April 2011. The probe panel was set up by the Federal Government to find out the remote and immediate causes of the violence.   We consider northern CAN's rejection of Lemu's headship of the panel a dangerous dimension. CAN hinged its rejection on the fact that Shaykh Lemu was one of the Muslim leaders who were behind the introduction of Shari'ah into the northern states of Nigeria. This position exposes CAN as intolerant, extremist, impatient and unforgiving.     We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) take CAN's position with a pinch of salt. By using this parochial barometer, CAN has introduced sentiment, religious bigotry and outright blackmail into the controversy surrounding the probe panel. Every single Nigerian belongs to one religion or another. In most cases it is either a Christian or a Muslim that is appointed to posts.   Does it mean that all the noise about the need for us to avoid using religion as a parameter is all balderdash? Was the whole exercise a CAN agenda ab initio and the rest of us were just fooled into believing that religious politics must be avoided at all cost? What was the crime committed by Shaykh Lemu that he should be disqualified from heading a probe panel? Now we know that CAN is neither tolerant, nor is it willing to learn to live with its Muslim neighbours.   CAN's argument that it was not consulted before the panel was constituted holds no water. It merely exposes its hidden agenda, namely, to constitute the remote control room on government's decisions. The post-election probe panel is not a Christian-Muslim affair. Was the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs consulted? Shaykh Lemu was picked on merit. Why is CAN turning it into a religious controversy? Obasanjo's government did not consult the Sultan when he removed Arabic from the naira and heaven did not fall.   MURIC will not allow any group, no matter how elitist, to strangulate the polity. We totally reject CAN's dictatorial mien. We assert clearly, categorically and unambiguously that Shaykh Lemu, like any other qualified Nigerian, has the Allah-given and fundamental right to serve his country in his area of competence.   We therefore call on the Federal Government to ignore the rantings of CAN and to go ahead with the appointment of Shaykh Lemu as the Chairman of the probe panel. We warn that CAN has stirred the hornet's nest and any attempt by the Government to bend to CAN's wish will show Nigerians where the pendulum of this government is swinging. Nigerian Muslims will not be satisfied with the replacement of Shaykh Lemu with another Muslim. It is therefore Shaykh Lemu or no probe panel.   Even the rationale for the probe panel is clouded in controversy. We nurse fears about the futility of probe panels given the history of such exercises in the past. The reports of many probes end up in the dustbin after the initial hue and cry. Secondly, we share the fear of a large section of the Nigerian populace that the present Federal Government as constituted lacks the moral right to set up such a probe panel because the government itself is deeply involved.   The violence was an expression of anger against the ruling party and the same party lacks the moral locus standi to sit in judgment or to set up a panel to investigate a case in which it has vested interest. How fair can a ruling party's probe panel be when the crux of the probe is violence which erupted in protest against its victory? Already, the opposition is alleging victimization.   To our mind, therefore, only a neutral and international body like the United Nations or the African Union can constitute a credible probe panel into the post-election violence of April 2011. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

DONT ALLOW US BASE IN NIGERIA

15th May, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: AMERICAN BASE ON NIGERIAN SOIL: SERIOUS SECURITY THREAT     The United States is allegedly planning to site one of its military bases in Nigeria. The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is also reported to be favourably inclined to the plan.         The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) wishes to advise the Nigerian government not to push its citizens into a revolt in this transitional period. Nigerians are now better informed and they know the implications of allowing a world superpower to site its base within Nigeria's territory.   We are asking the question: Why must a foreign country set up a military base in Nigeria at this point in time? Who needs it and for what? Who benefits from it and how? Is Nigeria now a satellite nation? Have we turned the country into a banana republic? Has Nigeria been sold to the hawks? If so, who sold it? Is it a military base we need now in this country or food security, power generation, good health facilities, good roads, qualitative education, etc? Is this how we are going to be rewarded for voting for Goodluck Jonathan?   America has enough number of bases around the world and it already uses the available bases to assert its authority according to its whims and caprices. Its deployment of troops from its foreign bases has more often than not been arbitrary and unilateral thereby causing serious embarrassment to host countries and endangering the territorial integrity of other nations.   The arrogance and aggressiveness with which America uses its bases particularly after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) have proved to the rest of the world that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The United States has exploited, misguided and abused the unipolar world.   US policy of rendition whereby innocent people are kidnapped and kept in its secret bases abroad to be tortured, debased and dehumanized run contrary to the principles of natural justice and constitute an infringement on the Allah-given and fundamental rights of mankind. Nobody is safe under the barbaric policy of rendition. People disappear without notice and they cannot be traced. This is usually facilitated by the proximity of American bases.   The use of unmanned drones which cause colossal collateral damage and loss of lives at no risk at all to American troops is cowardly, wicked and inhuman. Only a banana republic should allow such to happen in its own territory. America also uses its bases to thwart the United Nations' efforts and to impose its desires on the world body. The bases are also often used to humiliate nations and portray its leadership as impotent imbeciles. US troops have invaded weaker countries and kidnapped its leadership without the UN's approval. Though it claims to respect human rights at home, abuse and misuse of power are major characteristics of the United States foreign policy. America is a spoiled Goliath.    MURIC therefore appeals to the Federal Government of Nigeria not to touch the idea with a long pole. We call on the elected representatives of the Nigerian people to oppose any attempt to launch the country deeper into the jaws of neo-imperialism. We charge the Nigerian civil society to speak up now and to mobilize public opinion before it is too late. An American base in the country can be compared to sleeping in the house with a snake on the roof. Only fools dare where angels fear to tread.     Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY DAY: STRENGTHEN FAMILY TIES

11th May, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: MAY 15: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES: A CALL TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY TIES     Sunday 15th May, 2011 will be observed worldwide as the International Day of Families. This is in recognition of the vital role of families in building the society.          The family unit is a microcosm of the larger society and its status reflects in the overall condition of the population in a country. Islam places high premium on family ties since every human being belongs to one family or another. It therefore follows that suffering in the land will reduce to a large extent if we all take care of members of our families. The Glorious Qur'an repeatedly lays emphasis on the need to care for the Ulul-Qurba (blood relations; Qur'an 2:83; 4:7, 4:36; etc).     Regrettably, the social crisis facing Nigeria and the world in general today emanates from the family unit. The rise in crime, drug abuse, cultism, examination malpractice, bribery and corruption in Nigeria can all be traced to this single unit in social statistics.   The Glorious Qur'an enjoins parents to educate their children and give them proper care (Qur'an 2:233). Parents who engage in child abuse by feeding fat on under-aged children or wards who are made to hawk wares on the streets are therefore committing sin. Education is the Allah-given right of all children. Governments of all nations are therefore enjoined to make education free at all levels. In the alternative, education must be made cheap and affordable. Children must be well fed, comfortably accommodated and decently clothed by parents.   In loco parentis, parents and guardians must also sermonize young ones who live under them. Nigeria faces a moral burden today because family heads have abandoned their traditional responsibility of guidance. Parents employ and pay mercenaries who impersonate their children in examination halls. Society hails the rich even when the source of wealth is known to be illegal. Dilligence and discipline are frowned upon and labelled as 'old school'. Homo sapiens now worship materialism.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) calls on parents to set aside special periods to counsel children and wards. Prophet Luqman set this good example in Qur'an 31: 13-21. He taught his children to fear Allah, to be prayerful, to be humble, to be honest and to shun greed and materialism. The future of nations like Nigeria is still bright if parents can emulate Prophet Luqman.   MURIC also charges Nigerians and the rest of the world to maintain close family ties with all members of the extended family. The eradication of poverty will remain a dream if each family unit is fragmented into the 'haves' and 'have-nots'. Efforts should be made to extend economic empowerment to members of the family. Qur'an 17:23 commands goodness to parents. We  therefore remind all men to take good care of their parents. A river that forgets its source will soon dry up.   Finally, we urge governments to introduce a free medical care scheme for all pregnant women. This will reduce the high incidence of pre-maternal fatalities. Families are sustained through regeneration and this is impossible without successful pregnancy period.   Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

"WHOEVER IS WORSHIPPING BIN LADEN..."

WHOEVER IS WORSHIPPING BIN LADEN …   Nobody will doubt the fact that Muslims love Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) with passion. The love is undiluted. They believe in him and his prophecy and follow him almost without questioning. This faith in Muhammad is not a new phenomenon among Muslims.   It led Ali bin Abi Talib to boldly and readily take the Prophet's place on his bed as the latter slipped out of his house to escape being killed by the idolators of Makkah who had surrounded his house. But of course the enemies fell into a mysterious sleep when the prophet came outside! The same love fired Abubakr into accompanying Muhammad on the long and dangerous journey to Madina with the Makkans in hot pursuit. Abubakr did not waver a little bit inside the cave when he was alone with the Prophet and they watched the enemies surrounding the cave.   The same passionate love for Prophet Muhammad motivated his companions to spontaneously offer their lives in place of Muhammad's in a moment of grave danger at Uhud. A vicious arrow had hit the Prophet on the forehead and he fell. This was during the battle of Uhud in 625 C. E. Though the Muslims had gained the upper hand ab initio, a group of archers numbering fifty whom the Prophet had placed strategically at the other side of Mountain Uhud to guard the rear of the Muslim flank abandoned their vital position because they thought it was all over.   The enemy did not miss this great opportunity. They came from the rear and rained an array of arrows on the Muslims. The Prophet turned to face the marauding enemy. That was the moment one of the arrows struck him. Realizing that the Prophet was down, the enemy rushed forward to finish the job. Upon seeing the deadly danger facing their beloved leader, the Muslims surged forward. Umar was the first to lie on top of the Prophet, others began to pile up on his body to give him protection. Another group of fighters ran a ring round him, fencing off his aggressors. The prophet was saved.   Though the Muslims readily sacrificed their own lives for the Prophet on the above occasions, none of them could save him from death when it finally snuffed life out of him in 632 C. E. The Prophet had been knocked down by fever for about a week. It was a different scenario. No life could have replaced his. They all watched helplessly until he died.   That was when hell was let loose. Many of them expressed disappointment that Muhammad had died. How could the Prophet die: a whole prophet? Didn't he have the power to stop death? They had thought he was immune to death. One after another they expressed skepticism, their faith diminishing in the burning desert sun.   Then Abubakr climbed a raised platform and addressed the mourning assembly thus: "Whoever is worshipping Muhammad, verily indeed I say unto you: Muhammad is dead. But whoever is worshipping Allah, verily indeed ALLAH IS ALIVE. He never dies!" (Hayun la yamut). Upon hearing this, the Muslims went into a frenzy, shouting 'ALLAHU AKBAR'!!!   Without committing the blasphemy of comparing Osama Bin Laden to the Holy Prophet, we have seen the mood among Muslims worldwide since news of Bin Laden's death was broken. To many it was incredible, impossible. Some cried, some wailed. Only a few knowledgeable ones took the news in good faith, with deep Iman.   But it was clear that terrorist or no terrorist, Muslims loved Bin Laden. Many may have been intimidated into refusing to admit this but deep in their hearts they still love him, even in official circles. Many will not like to be seen associating with terrorists, but the same axiom in international politics is true in Muslim circles, viz, the enemy of my enemy if my friend. Simple mathemagics, isn't it? Yes, mathemagics. If mathematics will not find the solution, mathemagics will definitely do.   Bin Laden embarked on his militant jihad because of the obvious injustice in the world today particularly the subjection of Palestinians to oppression in the hands of Israel, backed by the United States and the rest of the West. There is also no gainsaying the fact that he enjoyed the sympathy of majority of Muslims worldwide though some did not approve of his violent method, yours sincerely included. No other figure was so popular in Islamdom.   Therefore the news of his death appeared to have broken the myth surrounding him, hence the incredulity. The registration of reality in the medulla oblongata is capable of shattering those Muslims whose faith is not so strong, those who have little or no knowledge about their faith. It is for such Muslims that I write today.   Death is a reality in Islam. Islam teaches a fatalistic philosophy of death as a necessary end. Qur'an 3:185 says, "Every soul shall taste of death". I have no doubt that Bin Laden's death has come at his appointed time because the Qur'an affirms that no soul shall enjoy an extra minute or second nor shall any be denied a single minute (Qur'an 7:34). The Qur'an also says that only Allah can cause death (Qur'an 3:145). In reality, therefore, Allah allowed the killing of Bin Laden when his appointed time came.   Otherwise why do you think the Prophet escaped death several times? Many other people have escaped death before, some of them are known to you. But did they not die eventually? So has Bin Laden escaped death on many occasions. But when the time appointed by Allah that he would die came, He created an avenue for his death to take place in melodramatic fashion.   Come to think of it. Who heard the news when Bin Laden was born? Did any radio or television announce his birth? Was it published by any newspaper? But Bin Laden became a household name today, even in death. Pathologically hated by his foes, passionately loved by friends, Shakespeare probably had Bin Laden in mind when he said, "When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes".   The death of Bin Laden should not create any 'down syndrome' for Muslims. For me it is jihad continua, victoria asserta. I don't worship Bin Laden. I might have admired him. I never belonged to his school of thought. To me human life is sacred. I abhor violence. Dialogue is my choice. My jihad is intellectual jihad. It is more effective. It is positive and productive. No collateral damage.   Therefore verily verily I say unto you Muslims, like Abubakr to the Ummah, "Whoever is worshipping Bin Laden, verily indeed Bin Laden is dead. But whoever is worshipping the One and Only Allah, He (Allah) is ALIVE indeed. He never dies, not even for one second." Jihad continua!!! Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

BIN LADIN'S DEATH: LET JUSTICE REIGN

2nd May, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: BIN LADEN'S DEATH: LET JUSTICE REIGN     The death of Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaedah, was announced today on several cable networks. Bin Laden was reportedly killed in Pakistan by American special forces. Bin Laden was the alleged brain behind the September 11 attack on the United States.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is not in any way surprised by this development in view of the fact that he has since been a fugitive sought after by all intelligence agencies around the world.   Islam teaches a fatalistic philosophy of death as a necessary end. Qur'an 3:185 says, "Every soul shall taste of death". We have no doubt that Bin Laden's death has come at his appointed time because the Qur'an affirms that no soul shall enjoy an extra minute or second nor shall any be denied a single minute (Qur'an 7:34). The Qur'an also says that only Allah can cause death (Qur'an 3:145). In reality, therefore, Allah allowed the killing of Bin Laden when his appointed time was due.        MURIC reaffirms its avowed abhorence of violent tendencies. We therefore call on all disciples of violent reactions to embrace dialogue.   It will be assumed that America sought justice and got it. They wanted Bin Laden dead or alive. From now on, the onus lies squarely on America. Post-Bin Laden era must be characterized by respect for the sovereignty of all nations. The violations of territorial integrities must stop. Only thus can mutual suspicion end among nations. The United States must cease to usurp the sovereignty of the United Nations. Justice must be the key word in American international diplomacy particularly in the Middle East.  The arbitrary use of veto in favour of Israel must become an anachronism.   The above are the conditions under which the world can enjoy peace. There can be no peace without justice. The world must not deceive itself into believing that peace would envelope the world once Bin Laden was captured or killed. Justice is the soul of peace. Nobody can deny one and still enjoy the other. We therefore call on America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the rest of the West to unlock the door of justice and allow the world to breath the air of peace.   Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace