FG SHOULD NEGOTIATE RELEASE OF CHRISTIAN GIRL

22^nd March, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

FG SHOULD NEGOTIATE RELEASE OF CHRISTIAN GIRL

Boko Haram insurgents yesterday returned 104 out of the 110 girls abducted on 19^th February, 2018. Five of them had reportedly died while one, Leah Sherubu, was not released. According to Khadija Grema, one of the freed girls, Leah was not released because she is a Christian and she refused to put on hijab or convert.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns Boko Haram’s attempt to compel Leah to use hijab. Equally reprehensible is the attempt to force her to convert to Islam.

We reiterate for the umpteenth time that Boko Haram’s doctrine is heretical and its methods stand in contradistinction to those of pristine Islam. The Glorious Qur’an asserts that there is no compulsion in Islam (2:256). It says Allah himself could have made the whole mankind Muslims if He had wished (11:118). It forbids forceful conversion or punishment of non-Muslims by Muslims and limits the role of Muslims to admonitions alone (lasta alayhinm bimusaytirin 88: 21 – 24). Furthermore, it declares that each shall have the right to follow his or her religion (lakunm diinukunm wa liya diin 109:1 – 6).

Once again we reject Boko Haram as an Islamic group. We urge the leadership and members of the group to re-examine its ideological base. Leah Sherubu must be set free because the basis for holding her after setting her schoolmates free is faulty and unIslamic.

We invite the Federal Government (FG) to widen the scope of dialogue with Boko Haram by incorporating doctrinal issues. Islamic scholars should be involved in such discussions with the insurgents. This process is sine qua non for the deradicalisation of Boko Haram. Military defeat of Boko Haram alone amounts to a pyrrhic victory without ideological re-engineering.

We charge (FG) to go back to the negotiation table in order to secure the release of the only Christian girl among the Dapchi girls who is being held back by the insurgents. Nigerians have been united in their prayers for the release of the Dapchi girls. FG should note that Boko Haram is not as daft as many people think. By withholding the Christian girl, they seek to divide Nigerians once again along religious lines.

MURIC expresses solidarity with the parents of Leah Sherubu, the Christian girl in captivity. Our hearts are heavy with grief over her plight. We salute her courage. Shame on Boko Haram for oppressing a lone, vulnerable and helpless girl. Shame on all those who suppress freedom of worship. We appeal to Nigerians to invoke special prayers in the mosques and churches for this Christian girl who had the courage to stare her oppressors in the face. We should also continue to pray for the remaining Chibok girls.

As we round up, we repeat our exhortation to the Nigerian authorities: to set Leah Sherubu free is a task that must be done.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

RELEASE OF DAPCHI GIRLS: MURIC REJOICES WITH NIGERIANS

21^st March, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

RELEASE OF DAPCHI GIRLS: MURIC REJOICES WITH NIGERIANS

The female students of the Government Girls Secondary Technical College (GGSTC) who were abducted by Boko Haram last month were reportedly released this morning. Though five of them were reported to have died, the rest were driven into Dapchi town today.    

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) rejoices with the parents, the Federal Government (FG), President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army for the early return of the girls.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan can now see the difference between action and inaction, between goodwill and bad faith and between lukewarm attitude and proactiveness. Chibok and Dapchi are now reference points in a tale of two Commander-in-Chiefs: one who turns the other cheek while his army turns and runs and another who takes immediate action and puts insurgents on the run. We therefore call on Nigerians to continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari.

We charge FG to ensure adequate protection for all the schools in the insurgency zone. Defeated, frustrated, bankrupt and hungry, Boko Haram is looking for ways of embarrassing FG, sourcing for food and ransom money. We must never be caught napping again.

However, we are saddened by the loss of five of the girls. We sympathise with their parents and pray that Allah will grant them Aljannah Firdaus. We also pray that Almighty Allah will give the parents the strength to bear the loss.  

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

WAEC SHOULD NOT USE GHANA AS EXCUSE

20^th March, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

WAEC SHOULD NOT USE GHANA AS EXCUSE  

The Director of Public Affairs, West African Examination Council (WAEC)

 Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu yesterday argued that Electronics and Social Studies, which the examination body fixed for the Jumat period on Fridays are not for Nigeria but Ghana.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) contends that this argument is escapist, lame and therefore untenable. It is a weak after-thought and a poorly presented case of divide et impera.

Is WAEC telling us that there are no Muslims in Ghana? As a regional examination body, WAEC is not expected to isolate any minority for persecution. But this is what WAEC is doing. Using Ghana as an excuse has just exposed WAEC.

WAEC just shot itself in the foot! Does WAEC expect MURIC to keep quiet when Muslim candidates in Ghana are being oppressed? For the avoidance of doubts, Ghana’s population which was 28.21 million as at 2016 has 25% as Muslims. Christians are 41% while traditionalists are 23%. Others are 9%.

WAEC has just confirmed that it has been depriving the 25% Muslim population in Ghana of its Allah-given fundamental human rights. The Muslim candidates are forced to write examination during Jumat period because nobody will fight for them.

MURIC condemns WAEC’s attempt to use divide and rule tactics. The Muslim candidates in Ghana are Muslims and we will resist any attempt by WAEC, or anyone for that matter, to isolate them for persecution. We do not see them as Ghanaians. We only see them as Muslims.

WAEC should know that Muslims all over the world are one indivisible entity. We observe the same five daily prayers at the same time. We face the same Qiblah when praying. We have one and the same Qur’an. We all recognize only one Ka’abah. Islam knows no local government, state, geo-political, national or regional boundaries. That is why the Qur’an says, “Verily indeed this your community is one and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me” (Qur’an 23:52).

Furthermore, information technology has reduced the world to a global village.  This makes it difficult for any tyrant to operate freely for too long. WAEC should note that like people of other faiths, Muslims also network and today there are Muslim groups in social media with membership spreading across Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, and to Europe and other continents. Just like the golden fish, therefore, WAEC should realize that it has no hiding place. The game is up.

MURIC asserts clearly, emphatically and unequivocally that it is on a mission to liberate. Just as the Qur’an declares that the world’s Muslim Ummah is one so is our constituency global. We are therefore committed to the liberation of Muslims and all other oppressed people in any part of the world. Neither is our intellectual jihad restricted to the emancipation of Muslims alone. It extends to people of all faiths. 

Our vision of Nigeria is that of a nation where Muslims, Christians and Traditionalists live together in peace and harmony, a nation in which no one is oppressed on account of faith, class or ethnicity. We are middle-roaders and socio-intellectual jihadists fighting corruption and extravagance, seeking freedom of worship for all, emancipation for the oppressed, justice for the persecuted, food for the hungry, healing for the sick, clothing apparels for the naked and shelter for the homeless. 

In our concluding remarks, we charge WAEC to always look at the bigger picture, to think out of the box and to open its windows wide in order to accommodate candidates of all faiths without any discrimination. We urge the regional examination body to shun any situation capable of igniting crisis in the forthcoming June/July 2018 examination. WAEC is therefore advised to properly adjust its timetable now since its examination is expected to start in two weeks (from Tuesday 3^rd April, 2018).

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

WAEC IS CONFUSED

19^th March, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

WAEC IS CONFUSED

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) recently scheduled Chemistry for 2 pm to 4 pm on Friday 20^th April, 2018. Muslims all over the world attend Jumat prayer in their mosques from 1 – 2.30 pm on Fridays. As a rule, therefore, educational institutions and offices leave a two-hour window (from 1 to 3 pm) for the Muslims to worship. WAEC examination is expected to start from Tuesday 3^rd April to Tuesday 15^th May, 2018.

In the face of a barrage of criticisms from Islamic organizations including the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), WAEC modified its invidious timetable. Chemistry, which was earlier fixed for 2 – 4 pm on Friday 20^th April, 2018 was moved backwards to Tuesday 10^th April, 2018. Ceramics (Essay) and Forestry (Essay) will now be held on Friday 20^th April, 2018 from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Reports that WAEC has amended this timetable could not be confirmed by us because the information was not on WAEC’s website when we checked to confirm. Only Premium Times, a leading online newspaper and a student information portal (http://studentinfoportal.com/education-news/waec-adjusts-wassce-timetable-to-enable-muslims-observe-jumaat/. It claimed that the Director of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Mr. Demianus Ojijeogu has confirmed the slight amendment.

Mr Ojijeogu was quoted as saying, “For the sake of the people who will go to the mosque, the exam will be delayed till they come back”. According to him, “the paper will be delayed till 2:30 pm or 3 pm, when the Muslims will return from the mosque.”

This is not a categorical statement. It is not convincing enough. It leaves Muslim candidates at the mercy of WAEC’s ad hoc staff, invigilators and supervisors, some of whom can be overzealous Muslim-haters.  WAEC needs to withdraw its first offensive timetable, issue a press statement and follow this up with the publication of an amended timetable.

Even if it is true, this amendment still needs clarification from WAEC. For instance, we need to know whether or not some Muslim candidates take these two subjects (Ceramics and Forestry). Yet this may not be the end of our inquiry even if no Muslim candidate has registered for the subjects this year because some Muslim candidates are likely to show interest in them in the near future.

The ideal thing for WAEC to do, therefore, is to steer clear completely from scheduling any examination during the Jumat period. There is no need to stereotype Muslims and the subjects they are likely to take. Knowledge is a universal thing and candidates are not likely to consider religion as a factor when choosing their subjects. 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) was shocked by the first timetable released by WAEC. It was unfair, tyrannical and provocative. It was equally myopic, thoughtless and parochial. This ‘amended’ version presupposes that WAEC is confused.

We were shocked because issues like this had been trashed out with WAEC before. For WAEC to have tried this again, we strongly suspect that the regional examination body is suffering from chronic administrative amnesia.

WAEC appears confused because there are three other clashes on the ‘amended’ timetable which WAEC did not address at all. Social Studies (Objective) is slated for 1 – 1.50 pm on Friday 4^th May, 2018 while Electronics (Objective) is also billed to take place between 1 and 3 pm on Friday 11^th May, 2018. Woodwork is equally scheduled for the same day from 12 – 3 pm. So how do we reconcile all these? WAEC is out to slay Muslim candidates.

Placed pari passu with the ‘amended’ timetable, it is clear that WAEC’s spokesperson seeks to deceive Muslim candidates. He is leading them into a trap. If indeed the timetable has been amended and Chemistry has been moved to morning period on Tuesday 10^th April, 2018, why would there be any need for “the exam would be delayed till they come back” since it would no longer be taken on a Friday.

WAEC spokesperson also spoke of the paper being delayed till “…2.30 pm or 3 pm”. This is supposed to be a policy matter. Is he not so sure? Which one should WAEC ad hoc officials operate? 2.30 pm deadline or 3 pm? WAEC is speaking from both sides of its mouth. 

We recall our press statement dated 26^th August, 2015 under the caption “WAEC Examination Timetable is an Invitation to Chaos”. That press statement was issued three years ago when WAEC fixed three different subjects between the hours of 1pm and 3 pm on three consecutive Fridays running from 11^th, 18^th, and 25^th September of that year. MURIC cried foul and WAEC later adjusted its timetable.

So what has changed since then? Does WAEC intend to bring examination materials to its Muslim candidates in the mosque? Is WAEC asking Muslim candidates to choose between worshipping and their examination just as some religious bigots told Muslim students in the past? Is this not an attempt by WAEC to jeopardize the interest and future of Muslim candidates? Is this also not a deliberate attempt to ease out Muslims from vital degree courses like medicine, pharmacy, nursing, etc?

Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence but the third time is enemy action. The 2015 incident was not the first time. Is WAEC targeting Muslim candidates for destabilization? It appears the only language WAEC understands is force. Although Muslims will not resort to the use of force, we will resist WAEC’s illegal, unlawful, illegitimate and unconstitutional manipulation of its timetable to deprive Muslim candidates of their Allah-given fundamental right to worship as enshrined in Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the 2011 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. Any WAEC timetable which trespasses into the Jumat period (12 – 3 pm on Friday) is therefore ultra vires, null and void.

By this press statement, we are notifying the Federal Ministry of Education of the volatile nature of WAEC’s timetable. It is capable of causing a disturbance of public peace if it erodes the Jumat period. Nigeria has witnessed enough religious riots and the Ministry must call WAEC to order.

WAEC’s regional status notwithstanding, the Ministry of Education owes it a duty to ensure that no educational exercise capable of stirring civil disturbance is allowed to take place under its watch. The Ministry of Education should have an input in an exercise of this magnitude. In view of the fact that WAEC keeps repeating the same irritating and illegal time table year after year, we suggest that from now on, WAEC time tables should be scrutinized by the ministry of education to ensure that nothing unlawful creeps into it.

Muslim candidates and their parents will be left with no choice than to mobilize to WAEC examination centers in peaceful protest if this complaint is ignored.

We demand a WAEC timetable that leaves the 12 – 3 pm window which Muslims need for Jumat service untouched. An ideal examination timetable for Friday will therefore be 9 am to 12 noon and 3.30 – 6 pm. In fact, heaven will not fall if examinations are limited to morning period on Fridays.

The WAEC timetable imbroglio has once again brought the Friday Question to focus. We have no iota of doubt that WAEC will have no audacity to fix an examination during the Jumat period if Friday is free like Sunday. Or should we simply ask WAEC to fix one subject for the Jumat period and another one on Sunday morning from 9 am to 12 noon, at least for parity? How does that sound? Who feels it knows it. WAEC should stop oppressing Muslims. All we are saying is: Give Us Jumat period. Respect Allah, our Creator, even if you don’t respect us.

WAEC is pursuing an aggressive anti-Islam policy. Fixing examinations during Jumat service gives non-Muslims undue advantage over Muslims. This is discriminatory and unjust. WAEC has lost its soul.

To round up, we charge the Federal Ministry of Education to call WAEC to order. We advise WAEC authorities to consult widely when fixing its timetable because no public institution is an island, entire of itself. WAEC should note that the Jumat period (12 – 3 pm) is not negotiable for any subject. We urge Muslims to remain calm, to eschew violence but to be alert and watchful. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)