CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: TIME TO CEMENT CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS

23^rd December 2015,

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:

TIME TO CEMENT CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS

Christians all over the world will celebrate Christmas on Friday, 25^th December, 2015. Millions of Nigerian Christians will partake in this annual event which marks the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).

We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) felicitate with our Christian brothers on this occasion. It is instructive that the birthdays of the two major religious figures came so intimately close this year, 24^th and 25^th of December. This is not a mere coincidence. There is a message in it for us. God wants Christians and Muslims to come closer.

We opine that instead of igniting hatred, bitterness and violence, religion should generate love, kindness and peaceful coexistence. All religions including Bhudism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Jainism, African Traditional Religion, etc, teach love and mercy for homo sapien.

There is no religion that teaches hatred and enjoins its adherents to kill and maim. The problem we have in Nigeria is that people abuse religion. They use it as a launching pad for their selfish desires. Politicians exploit religion to satisfy their greed and avarice while ethnic jingoists masquerade under the canopy of religion to wet their murderous and cannibalistic appetite.

MURIC avers that it is not too late for Nigerians to put religion in its proper perspective. In other words, we are appealing to Nigerians to utilize religion both vertically and horizontally. In the vertical dimension, Nigerians must see religion as a relationship between man and God. Horizontally, it is mandatory on Nigerians to regard religion as a means of improving relationship among the Adamic chromosome.

There is therefore the need for Nigerians to redesign their religious practices, services, conventions, processions, etc, in such a way that other citizens are not made to suffer any form of hardship, be it inability to sleep due to noisy religious services or free access to the roads due to worshippers’ interference with traffic on the roads.

Every Nigerian, nay every human being came from Adam and Adam came from ordinary dust. All of us shall return to dust and finally to God. We must therefore share love. We must learn to tolerate one another. We must learn to forgive.        

But for the love of God, Nigeria would have caved under in the face of both internal and external conspiracies, hate speeches, treasonable actions, massive killings and destruction of churches and mosques. But Nigeria survived up till now because God is a God of love and He loves this country tremendously. Now that we have survived Boko Haram onslaught is the time to cement Christian-Muslim relationship. We therefore appeal to clerics to preach love and unity.

MURIC notes with serious concern that in spite of the proliferation of churches and mosques, morality is at its lowest ebb in this country.

Morality should therefore be a central theme in messages emanating from places of worship. Governments at both federal and state levels should also support the campaign against falling moral standards by encouraging the teaching of Christian and Islamic studies at all levels in the education sector.

Finally, we charge every Nigerian to cooperate with the Federal Government in its efforts to sanitise the system and enthrone transparency, probity and accountability. Only thus can this great country move forward. We therefore call on religious leaders from both sides to stop hobnobbing with corrupt politicians.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
08182119714

WANTED: PRESIDENTIAL PARDON FOR 54 CONVICTED SOLDIERS

21^st December 2015,

PRESS RELEASE:

WANTED: PRESIDENTIAL PARDON

FOR 54 CONVICTED SOLDIERS

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, recently commuted the death sentence passed on 66 soldiers to ten years imprisonment each. The soldiers were accused of mutiny and sentenced to death on 17^th December, 2014.       

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) hereby commends the COAS for reviewing the case of the soldiers. By this development, the COAS has demonstrated an enviable leadership quality and shown Nigerians that he is ready to listen to complaints and make adjustments where necessary. The COAS and the entire Nigerian Army also deserve accolades for putting Boko Haram on the run after being at the receiving end for a long period under the last administration.

However, we deem it necessary to further advance the cause of the 66 soldiers. We still believe very strongly that they do not deserve additional punishment for two good reasons. Firstly, these soldiers asked to be better equipped before being sent to face insurgents who were better armed. This is only reasonable as dead soldiers cannot protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

Secondly, the soldiers have received enough punishment already having been in custody for the past eight months. It is noteworthy that they had allegedly fed themselves during the period.

The case of 54 soldiers out of the 66 is even different because it appears that both the army and the press have lumped them together. It is necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff and put issues in their proper context.

12 soldiers were actually involved in the alleged attempt on the life of their commander while the remaining 54 were those who asked to be properly armed before advancing on the enemy. It was not their first time of engaging the insurgents because they had earlier advanced with their battalion on 9^th July, 2014 under Lt. Col K. C. Uwa to recapture Damboa where Boko Haram insurgents had earlier dislodged 195 Battalion. Unfortunately they were ambushed by the terrorists and they lost 23 men and four officers due to inadequate equipment.

Again on 4^th August they were asked to advance towards the same Damboa, Deluwa and Bullabilin without any improvement in armament. They had no single armoured car.

They therefore asked for equipments from their commander, Lt. Col. Oporum. They were rounded up for daring to demand arms before engaging a better equipped foe.

The case of the 54 soldiers is therefore another cup of tea and we want Nigerians to understand it so. It is totally different from the 12 soldiers who were later apprehended allegedly for attempting to kill an army general.

The 54 soldiers did not mutiny. They merely asked for weapons. They begged not to be sent on suicide mission fighting hardened terrorists with their bare hands. They were the first group in year 2014 who demanded equipment. They did not open fire on anybody. They are different from those 12 who allegedly opened fire on an army general.

By demanding equipments, the 54 soldiers exposed the monumental corruption which was going on under former President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, they laid the foundation for the current probes on arms fund. Should we therefore kill the goose that lay the golden eggs?

MURIC appeals to President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to grant the soldiers presidential pardon. We are begging Mr. President as the father of all to set these soldiers free and reinstate them. Just as Mr. President has been resolute and hard on corrupt officials, we urge him to be rewarding and lenient on diligent workers, patriotic citizens and gallant soldiers.

Nigerians have spoken with one voice. Various groups are demanding leniency for the 66 soldiers. No single group has blamed them since revelations of corrupt enrichment from the arms fund have started. On the contrary, Nigerians pity these poor soldiers who are being made to pay for the greed and avarice of political gluttons.

MURIC therefore invites President Buhari to grace the scenario like ‘a Daniel come to justice’. Release our heroes from detention. Their freedom will boost the morale of other soldiers who are on the battle field. It will assure them that they have a listening Commander-in-Chief. This will be the real justice, the real change which we all voted for.

In conclusion, we aver that freedom for the 66 soldiers will mean the psychological defeat of Boko Haram as well as a morale booster for Nigerian soldiers fighting insurgents. We must not allow Boko Haram insurgents to rejoice as we kill and punish our soldiers with our own hands. Moreover, Nigerians will see freedom for the 66 soldiers as another victory in the current war against corruption.  

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
08182119714

ENSURE TERROR-FREE CHRISTMAS

20^th December, 2015,

PRESS RELEASE:

ENSURE TERROR-FREE CHRISTMAS

Christian faithfuls in Nigeria and other parts of the world will be celebrating Christmas in the next three days. The season is a period of festivities characterized by huge assemblies inside churches and the gathering of large crowds in public places, gardens and amusement centers. It is also expected to involve massive human traffic on the roads as well as the airports.

Unfortunately the past four or five years have witnessed deadly terrorist attacks on churches and motor parks in Northern Nigeria particularly during the yuletide. The attacks have recorded high casualty figures as well as collateral damages.

Worse still, the attacks have widened the gap between Christians and Muslims as the former accused the latter of sponsoring, encouraging and harbouring the hoodlums. Nigeria moved dangerously close to religious war.

The interfaith suspicions did not abate until it became clear that even mosques and Islamic scholars were falling victims. It was the sincere and laudable efforts of the new administration which injected a new dose of determination into the military thereby enabling them to recapture territories occupied by the Boko Haram insurgents.   

As Northern Nigeria breathes the air of freedom, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) warns that it is not over until it is over. Though grossly debilitated, Boko Haram is still very dangerous. It is now like a wounded lion. This informs the guerrilla tactics recently being adopted by the deadly group. It may want to strike during yuletide, at least to make a point.

We therefore jog the memories of the Nigerian security agencies in this regard. We call for tremendous coordination among the different arms: the army, the police, the secret services, the civil defence, etc. We also appeal to all Nigerians to be on the tiptoes of unprecedented alertness especially in public places like airports, markets, motor parks and schools.

In particular, we advise officials in churches and mosques to set up internal networking capable of facilitating communication among their followers. This will enable members who have useful information but who have no easy and quick access to security agents to pass such information to church or mosque officials who are close to them.  Strange faces must be reported immediately before they can wreak any havoc. People who stand together survive together.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
08182119714

DON’T JOIN ALL-MUSLIM ALLIANCE

18^th December, 2015,

PRESS RELEASE:

DON’T JOIN ALL-MUSLIM ALLIANCE

The Federal Government (FG) said yesterday that it had not yet decided whether or not to join the all-Muslim alliance. The all-Muslim alliance is a 34-nation military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

        

While the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) commends FG for not rushing into the coalition, we advise that Nigeria should stay away from the Islamic military bloc.

The major reason for adopting this line of thinking is the multi-religious status of our country. Nigeria is neither a theocratic state nor is it a secular one. This country is made up of two major religious groups (Christians and Muslims) as well as several other traditional religious societies whose number is dictated by the number of its ethnic groups.

A military coalition with a religious colouring will no doubt ignite another controversy.  Anybody who thinks it will favour Nigerian Muslims should check his records again. We affirm clearly, emphatically and unequivocally that Nigerian Muslims do not need an Islamic military coalition. We are not at war with our Christian neighbours.  

 A religious military bloc is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Nigeria has enough security problems on its hands.

We must also remember that the Boko Haram saga nearly caused religious war between Christians and Muslims because the former misunderstood the setting ab initio thereby accusing the latter of sponsoring the hoodlums. Nigeria’s involvement in an all-Muslim military alliance will revive those fears.

Nigeria is presently leading a non-religious regional coalition against Boko Haram. The same coalition should suffice to battle any form of terrorist threat in the West African subregion. We should not venture into an international all-Muslim alliance.

This is not an Islamic state and, contrary to the misleading perception in some quarters, Nigerian Muslims are not in the least interested in turning this country into an Islamic republic.

All we want is to peacefully coexist with our Christian and traditionalist neighbours while all we demand from them is just to leave us alone and allow us to be what we are.

Finally, we warn that a military bloc with an Islamic nomenclature is the last group Nigeria should join. This all-Muslim alliance is designed for countries with around 90% Muslim population. It is meant for Arab countries and others like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Nigeria must keep it at bay.   

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
08182119714