SALAH MESSAGE: END THE CULTURE OF FEAR

29th August, 2011 SALAH MESSAGE: NIGERIA: LIVING IN FEAR   As Muslims throughout the word celebrate the Id al-Fitr to mark the end of the Ramadan season, we of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) felicitate with fellow Nigerians.         We charge Muslims to justify their abstinence from food, drinks and all bad habits during Ramadan by upholding this great culture of self-discipline after the holy month. Those who were able to ignore food at the height of hunger, drink at the peak of thirst and immoral acts at the climax of temptation must not allow themselves to fall cheaply at the feet of mere frivolities.   MURIC reminds Nigerian Muslims in particular and the rest of the citizenry in general of the main objective of fasting during Ramadan. This goal is expressly stated in Qur'an 2: 183, thus, "Oh you who believe, fasting is prescribed unto you just as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may fear Allah."   It is clear from the above verse that fasting is prescribed in order to make man pious, self-restraining and morally upright. It therefore behoves every Muslim to be Allah-conscious and Allah-fearing. Whether he is a leader or a follower, a Muslim must be of exemplary character. Above all, he must be a good neighbor, loving, tolerant and forgiving. He must radiate peaceful coexistence. He must be an embodiment of peace.   It is in this regard that MURIC calls attention to the sad incident of suicide bombing at the United Nations complex in Abuja which occurred on Friday, 26th August, 2011, killing 23 people. It is, to say the least, a tragedy of monumental proportion which must be condemned by all right-thinking persons. The Boko Haram group, which has since claimed responsibility, thus succeeded in creating a culture of fear in the country.   Yet as we denounce this dastardly act, we reiterate our call upon the Federal Government to engage Boko Haram in constructive dialogue. Government appears to be procrastinating on the issue of dialogue with the group. This is not good enough. We expect the Federal Government to take the safety of lives and properties of its citizens very seriously. MURIC affirms that it is time to face reality. A group that could penetrate police headquarters and inflict such damage on the UN office should be taken seriously. True statesmanship involves the ability to respect an enemy who, though he may not be able to build, has the capacity to destroy.   By foot-dragging on the issue of dialogue with Boko Haram, Aso Rock is unwittingly compelling innocent Nigerians to live in perpetual fear. Whereas dialogue has the tendency to slow down Boko Haram's belligerence, nonchalance will only fuel the flame of attacks. The tragedy of history is that men learn nothing from the lessons of history. Otherwise the way the Niger Delta crisis was resolved should have taught Aso Rock a lesson, namely, that force alone does not douse tension. Neither does respect for the opposition signify weakness.   We therefore urge the Federal Government to free Nigerians from this atmosphere of fear and psychological trauma by setting the machinery in motion for constructive dialogue with the Boko Haram group. Government must not only do this, but must be seen to be doing it. Only thus can Nigerians be saved from untimely, unnecessary, yet avoidable deaths.   Dr. Is-haq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) 234-818-211-9714 234-803-346-4974 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

STOP HARASSING MUSLIM TRAVELLERS

STOP HARASSING INNOCENT MUSLIM TRAVELLERS   Many Muslims traveling out or returning into the country have been arrested and detained by the Nigerian security agencies in recent times. All these are happening under the guise of hunting Boko Haram. The Boko Haram phenomenon has therefore turned up a dangerous dimension, particularly in Lagos. Reports reaching our secretariat confirm that many innocent Muslims have been victimized by security agents in the past two months.        Exempli gratia: a bearded Muslim lecturer at the Lagos State University (LASU) who went to the Badagry campus to teach was accosted by armed soldiers as he walked past the military base in the town. He was questioned for several minutes and told to remove his beard. One of the soldiers told him, "Next time I see you with that beard, I am going to shoot before asking questions!". He was lucky to escape with his life.   Two Muslim students, Ismail Abu Bakri and Ibroheem Tajudeen, were arrested at the Muritala International Airport as they were returning from Sudan on Friday, 5th August, 2011. They had cleared all necessary protocols before they were arrested at the point of exit. The security agents refused all entreaties. The student visas in their passports were ignored and they were bundled away like cheap criminals. Both of them are students at the International University of Africa, Sudan.   It brings to five the number of students detained by the incompetent Nigerian security agencies as they arrived from Sudan. As I placed this article on my personal blog (drishaqakintola.blogspot.com), a Nigerian student in Sudan called my line to express his pleasure with the writeup and to update me on the number of Nigerian students returning from Sudan only to be detained at the airport.   He gave the name of one Abdul Lateef, an indigene of Ibadan in Oyo State who was arrested, detained at Kirikiri for four days. He was told to report to the security agencies in Lagos weekly. Pertinent questions must be asked at this juncture: Are our security agents being professional enough? Are they not targeting Islamic studies for annihilation? Whose interest are these agents serving? Who set them against students of Islamic studies?     Again, we must ask: What happened to shadowing? What happened to tailing? Have things deteriorated so badly that the security agencies no longer understand the art of following a suspect without his knowledge? Crime-detection is the trend in security circles around the world, not harassment and intimidation of innocent souls. This naive method of coercing the innocent only helps the real criminals to commit their atrocities and still get away with it.   I remember my days in the Campaign for Democracy (CD) under Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti, Nigerian security agents were always on our heels, sniffing, trailing. It was so much unlike these days of armchair policing when security agents just sit at the airport waiting for innocent Muslims. Pity!   Instead of frustrating the business activities of innocent Muslims, security agents should sharpen the tools of intelligence-gathering: trail suspects until you can pin something incriminating on them or leave them alone; spread your dragnet far and wide; keep your eyes open; grow eyes on your knees and ears on your toes. That is the trick.   But the reverse is happening here now. Many Muslims arriving from anywhere in the world are being intimidated. I find this development nauseating, alarming and provocative. It is an invitation to chaos. The Nigerian Gestapo is here. Harassment and wrongful arrest of innocent citizens are gross violations of Allah-given and fundamental human rights.   It breaches Section 41 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of movement which stipulates inter alia that no citizen of Nigeria shall "be refused entry thereto or exit therefrom". The selective nature of the harassment of Muslims by security agents is also a gross violation of Section 42 (i) (a) and (b) of the same constitution which guarantees freedom from discrimination, religious or otherwise.   By this selective, discriminatory and unconstitutional treatment of Muslims, the security agencies have turned Nigerian Muslims into endangered species. Muslims are becoming fugitives in their own land. Democracy is fast becoming a sham and a mirage in present-day Nigeria. It had better not be.   This is exactly the kind of scenario capable of becoming a recruiting sergeant for extremists. Nigerian Muslims are being militarized through victimization. An atmosphere of insecurity is being created for Muslims in their own country. This is unacceptable.   The transformation of the Boko Haram group from a pacific organization to a violent outfit within 24 months (2009-2010) is instructive in this regard. The attitude of the security agencies reveal that their training is either lopsided or that they have failed to practice the tenets of the training received by them. Nigeria's security agents are long in overzealousness but short in professionalism.   If this trend continues, we foresee a situation in which Muslims will disappear on Nigerian streets only to reappear in Guatanamo Bay or in any of America's secret bases around the world, courtesy of America's most inhuman rendition policy.   I therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of the two students, Ismail Abu Bakri and Ibroheem Tajudeen. All others in similar circumstances should be allowed to go. I call on the Federal Government to check the excesses of the security agencies. Finally, I advise Muslim youths and Islamic scholars to reduce their trips outside the country to essential journeys only and to always make their itinerary known to their immediate families. Equally important is the need to set up monitoring  mechanisms for one's departure and arrival before leaving home. 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

BOKO HARAM: SECURITY AGENCIES HARASSING INNOCENT MUSLIMS

9th August, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: BOKO HARAM: SECURITY AGENCIES HARRASSING INNOCENT MUSLIMS   The Boko Haram phenomenon has turned up a dangerous dimension, particularly in Lagos. Reports reaching our secretariat confirm that many innocent Muslims have been victimized by security agents in the past two months.        Exempli gratia: a bearded Muslim lecturer at the Lagos State University (LASU) who went to the Badagry campus to teach was accosted by armed soldiers as he walked past the military base in the town. He was questioned for several minutes and told to remove his beard. One of the soldiers told him, "Next time I see you with that beard, I am going to shoot before asking questions!". He was lucky to escape with his life.   Two Muslim students, Ismail Abu Bakri and Ibroheem Tajudeen, were arrested at the Muritala International Airport as they were returning from Sudan on Friday, 5th August, 2011. They had cleared all necessary protocols before they were arrested at the point of exit. The security agents refused all entreaties. The student visas in their passports were ignored and they were bundled away like cheap criminals.   We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) find this development nauseating, alarming and provocative. It is an invitation to chaos. Harassment and wrongful arrest of innocent citizens are gross violations of Allah-given and fundamental human rights.   It breaches Section 41 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of movement which stipulates inter alia that no citizen of Nigeria shall "be refused entry thereto or exit therefrom". The selective nature of the harassment of Muslims by security agents is also a gross violation of Section 42 (i) (a) and (b) of the same constitution which guarantees freedom from discrimination, religious or otherwise.   By this selective, discriminatory and unconstitutional treatment of Muslims, the security agencies have turned Nigerian Muslims into endangered species. Muslims are becoming fugitives in their own land. Democracy is fast becoming a sham and a mirage in present-day Nigeria. It had better not be.   MURIC warns that this is exactly the kind of scenario capable of becoming a recruiting sergeant for extremists. Nigerian Muslims are being militarized through victimization. An atmosphere of insecurity is being created for Muslims in their own country. This is unacceptable.   The transformation of the Boko Haram group from a pacific organization to a violent outfit within 24 months (2009-2010) is instructive in this regard. The attitude of the security agencies reveal that their training is either lopsided or that they have failed to practice the tenets of the training received by them. Nigeria's security agents are long in overzealousness but short in professionalism   If this trend continues, we foresee a situation in which Muslims will disappear on Nigerian streets only to reappear in Guatanamo Bay or in any of America's secret bases around the world, courtesy of America's most inhuman rendition policy.   We therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of the two students, Ismail Abu Bakri and Ibroheem Tajudeen. We call on the Federal Government to check the excesses of the security agencies. Finally, MURIC advises Muslim youths and Islamic scholars to reduce their trips outside the country to essential journeys only and to always make their itinerary known to their immediate families.         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

RAMADAN MESSAGE

31st July, 2011   RAMADAN MESSAGE: MURIC URGES FG TO HONOUR ITS PLEDGES TO WORKERS   The month-long Ramadan fasting will start tomorrow Monday, 1st August, 2011. The search for the moon began in Nigeria yesterday. It was eventually sighted today in Aukland, New Zealand, giving credence to the belief that it will be visible in the Nigerian sky towards evening. Traditionally, fasting kicks off after the moon has been sighted.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) sends its message of solidarity to Nigerian Muslims in particular and all Nigerians in general. We congratulate all living souls in this great country who witness this memorable spiritual season.   We remind both the leaders and the citizenry of the essence of fasting as stated in Qur'an 2:183, namely, to enhance piety. We charge the Federal Government to be Allah-conscious and Allah-fearing. The present furore over wages between FG and labour is bourne out of an acute lack of Allah-consciousness in government circles. Those who fear Allah will honour their covenants. Those who are Allah-conscious will realize that pledges must be fulfilled.   It is indeed sad that our leaders enter into agreements with workers without fulfilling their agreements. This has happened over and over again. Today it is happening to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). It is also happening to the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU). University lecturers are complaining that FG is reneging on agreements signed five years ago. Yet the same agreement is due for review in a few months from now. Nigerians should hold FG responsible for the continued decay in the education sector.   NLC is already threatening to go on strike this week unless FG honours its pledges. It is a big shame that we are being led by people whose stock-in-trade is lip service. Leadership demands some modicum of integrity. What labour is demanding is not too much. What is N18,000 monthly compared to N10 million and N15.5 million per month which members of the House of Representatives and senators receive respectively? Why should our leaders continue to deceive us?   MURIC warns FG not to court the anger of the proletariat. Workers deserve bread on their tables as at when due. FG should learn from what happened in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The case of Nigeria could be worse if it is allowed to happen because ours is a very porous nation. There are ethnic and religious hawks waiting out there to hijack a revolution. We all know the implications of an NLC strike. It must not happen.   Finally, we call on FG to find a lasting solution to the biting scarcity of kerosene. A discerning leadership would have taken a pragmatic and meaningful step to end the scarcity. This smacks of gross ineptitude. People are suffering because more than 80 percent of the Nigerian population relies on kerosene for cooking. The hardship is expected to rise during Ramadan when most families cook at home unless FG does something drastic. 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

MOON SIGHTED IN NEW ZEALAND

Esteemed Members As-Salaam Alaykum   Congratulations   The moon was sighted in Auckland, New Zealand today   Dat means today is Tarawih and tomorrow (Monday) is 1st Ramadan.   Alhamdulilah 4 d unity achieved among Muslims. This is wishing u all a wonderslamic Ramadan 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

ISLAMIC BANKING: MURIC ADVOCATES DIALOGUE

26th July, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: ISLAMIC BANKING: MURIC ADVOCATES DIALOGUE   The ongoing debate on Islamic banking in Nigeria appears to be taking dangerous turns. A Christian clergy led his congregation on public protest round the streets of Warri. Bishops have issued threats and expressed the fear of Islamisation of the country. The Christian Association of Nigeria has also taken a tough anti-Islamic banking stance. On Sunday 24th July 2011, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Shariah reacted in kind.        We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), in total commitment to our avowed motto, 'Dialogue, Not Violence', urge all stakeholders to remain level-headed. We believe that beheading is not the cure for headache. We call on Muslims in the country to continue on the path of civilized debate and intellectual enlightenment. We have no doubt that superior logic and common sense will eventually sway the pendulum.   We therefore appeal for calm among all Islamic organizations, Muslim youths and leaders. In particular, we charge Muslim leaders to desist from issuing inflammatory statements. Enduring relationships are not built on threats but on mutual respect. Even a huge financial enterprise like Islamic banking system requires a peaceful atmosphere to grow. Nigeria has suffered enough retardation in the hands of man-made disasters in form of religious and tribal disturbances. Nigeria has all the potentials to become a great country but it needs peace and stability to fully realize this potential.   MURIC urges Christian leaders to allow reason to prevail and to avoid playing to the gallery. The positive statements issued by knowledgeable Christians particularly finance experts like Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala should be objectively studied and analyzed. Responsible leadership demands that the followership should not be misled at any point in time. It is high time Christian leaders appreciated the fact that equal rights and equal participation are the sine qua non lubricants of the engine of democracy.   Music is sweet to the ears but both the white and black keys must be played to get harmony. No good musician will harp on white or black keys alone. The advocates of Islamic banking have not suggested the closure of existing banks. Democracy necessitates tolerance of alternatives. Nigeria became a debtor nation due to the frivolous interest charges in debt servicing. Let us therefore try another financial system without the burden of the current high interest of 24%, one that will run pari passu with the existing ones. Islamic banking offers that opportunity.   Finally, we assure fellow Nigerians that Muslims are committed to peaceful coexistence. Nobody is going to war over Islamic banking or any other religious issue. We therefore urge all citizens to go about their lawful duties without fear. The religion of Islam is about jaw-jaw, not war-war. It gives life, not death. It seeks to build, not to destroy. Islam is about forgiveness, not vengeance. It radiates love, not hatred.     Dr. Is-haq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) 234-818-211-9714 234-803-346-4974 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

MILITARY EXCESSES IN BORNO STATE

17th July, 2011 PRESS RELEASE: MILITARY EXCESSES IN BORNO STATE   There have been reports of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture of innocent people in Maiduguri in the past few days. Both indigenes and non-indigenes fleeing from the city now do so more from the fear of military high-handedness than from that of the Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunnah Lil-Da'wat wal-Jihad popularly known as Boko Haram. Human rights organizations have accused the military of excesses.   The locals have cried out against systematic rape by soldiers drafted to the troubled city to curb Boko Haram escapades. One of the women fleeing Maiduguri reportedly told BBC or VOA, "We have to flee. Soldiers are bursting into our homes. They are killing our husbands and committing obscenities with the women.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is constrained to join the call for the immediate withdrawal of the military. This call was first made by a committee of elders from Borno State. It has since been repeated by other groups including international bodies. The governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, in an interview with the BBC today confirmed military excesses.   Nigerian soldiers are ignoring well known rules of engagement. The use of rape as a tool for frightening the opponent is a crime against humanity. It is an unacceptable amplification of violence against women. There is no justification for this atrocity. It is barbarism taken to the Stone Age.   MURIC therefore demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of soldiers from Maiduguri streets. By unleashing marauding and undisciplined soldiers on innocent civilians at a time when it was talking of the possibility of dialogue, the Federal Government of Nigeria is also guilty of double speaking, belligerence and unnecessary use of force. We also demand compensation for innocent citizens whose houses and vehicles were destroyed by the rampaging soldiers.   We assert clearly, categorically and unequivocally that the killing of innocent civilians is arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional. We affirm that raping women during military operations is a crime against humanity. We call for investigations into the operations of the military in the city with a view to ascertaining the extent of criminality and culpability or otherwise of the security agencies during their anti-Boko Haram operation.   MURIC charges the international community, particularly the United Nations, to call the Nigerian authorities to order before the country descends into the abyss of humanitarian disaster.   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