4th October, 2024
PRESS RELEASE:
WHY WE DO NOT SUPPORT STREET PROTESTS – MURIC
An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC), has explained why it does not support street protests.
In a statement issued on Friday, 4th
October, 2024 by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group argued
that most street protests end up in violence which hurts innocent people,
disrupt normal activities and set back the hands of the clock.
MURIC also said protests are square pegs while the
fallouts are round holes while the motives are often short in public interest
but long in hidden agenda. The group also differentiated chaotic street
protests from organized peaceful rallies held in designated places.
MURIC spoke on the heels of the #FearlessOctober
protest which was held on Tuesday, 1st October, 2024.
The full statement reads:
“MURIC headquarters has found it necessary to clarify
its stand on street protests in view of recent insinuations from certain
quarters.
“Those
who accuse MURIC of speaking for the government of the day missed the mark by a
wide margin. They tell us government has its own mouthpieces, as if we do not
know. They ignore the fact that we are the dialogue group and this is why we
activate our dialogue mechanism each time there is a sign of trouble.
“For better understanding, the motto of our group,
MURIC, is ‘Dialogue, No Violence’. This can be factchecked on our website (www.muricnigeria.com). It is not a new
concoction. It has always been so since the establishment of the organization
way back in 1994 (thirty years ago). This informs our pacifist stand and our
love for dousing tension in the Nigerian society.
“This motto and our devotion to it in both letter
and spirit has stood us in good stead against our detractors and Muslim haters
generally who, perceiving us as an encumberance between them and the poor innocent
Muslims whom they love to oppress, have often portrayed us (wrongly, of course)
as terrorists, fundamentalists and troublemakers.
“These Muslim haters often ask the security
agencies, particularly men of the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest
us on flimsy excuses. But the Nigerian security agencies know their onions.
They are very professional generally, except for very few. They look before
they leap. They know that violence is not in our character and we have no link
whatsoever with terrorists.
“Our only interest and focus is the welfare of
Nigerian Muslims and the protection of their Allah-given fundamental human rights.
Neither do we shout wolf where there is none.
“For the purpose of microscopic clarity,
intervening and taking action whenever something goes wrong or things are about
to go awry is a standing instruction of the Prophet of peace, Muhammad the son
of Abdullahi (Peace Be Upon Him). He said, ‘Whoever sees any wrong should
change it with his hand. If he cannot use his hands to change it, he should use
his tongue. If he cannot use his tongue, he should use his heart (i.e. pray
against it), and that is the weakest of faith.’
“We do not have to abandon this prophetic
directive just because government has its own megaphones. We cannot look the
other way just because government’s spokespersons are there. We have a civic
duty and a religious responsibility to douse tension.
“Even then, governance, like security, is a
collective responsibility. But our detractors want MURIC to play the ostrich.
Unfortunately some will still misunderstand us because only the deep can call
to the deep. Almighty Allah says, ‘Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who
know not?’ It is only men of understanding who will remember’ (Glorious
Qur’an 39:9).
“Detractors should therefore stop accusing us of
acting government script simply because we appeal for calm. The intention of
those who say people should not speak in favour of government is to isolate those
in government and gag those who see sense in what government has done.
“This is not fair enough. There is nothing wrong
if people see that trouble is coming and they speak out. This is exactly what
the Prophet (SAW) commanded. It is not mandatory that we should all dance to
the gallery and there is nothing wrong with appealing to people who feel
aggrieved to sheath their swords?
“Unknown to most critics, MURIC’s regular appeals
to people to engage government in dialogue instead of embarking on street
protest favours ordinary citizens more than the government. Who bears the brunt
of the outbreak of violence? Whose shops are looted? Whose handsets are
snatched? Whose vehicles are damaged by mobs?
"That
is not to say that we seek to rob Nigerians of the right to protest. Citizens
have the right to express their grievances through peaceful demonstration. But
that right is relative and elastic. The rights of those who go on protest stops
where the rights of other citizens begin.”
“That is why we are shocked by the attitude of some
protest organisers who have turned demonstrations to scenes of horror or, at
best, business enterprises. There is no iota of doubt that this attitude is bound
to becloud public interest.
“For the avoidance of doubts, it is chaotic street
protests that we oppose categorically. The ideal protest that we support is the
stationary type, the type that has designated centre or centres, particularly
with the protection of security agencies while the organisers ensure that it
does not spill elsewhere.
“We assure Nigerians that we practice what we
preach. For instance, MURIC partook in the massive demonstration held at the
Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos in 2013. In conjunction with other Islamic
organisations, we were at the 2017 protest held at the House of Representatives,
Abuja, against the Nigerian Law School for refusing to call a law graduate who
wore hijab (Amasa Firdaus) to bar.
“We reiterate that our decision not to join street
protests was informed by the fact that most protests end up in violence which hurts
innocent people, disrupt normal activities and set back the hands of the clock
for poor people. We advise Nigerians, particularly the youth, to shun protests
which have the potentials of becoming chaotic, violent and destructive.
“In
our closing remarks, we affirm that this is a policy statement which is not targeted
at any individual, private organization, political group or government agency. We assert that street protests are square pegs
while their fallouts are round holes. There is a huge difference between chaotic
street protests and organized peaceful rallies held in designated places. The
motives behind street protests are often short in public interest, long in
hidden agenda.”
#SayNoToStreetProtests
#DialogueNoViolence
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
