| PAROCHIAL PUNCH EDITORIAL The government of the State of Oshun recently declared a one-day public holiday in recognition of the first day of the Islamic calendar. In a conservative and myopic reaction to the declaration, the Punch newspaper of Tuesday, 20th November, 2012 , page 18, poured vitriolic attacks on the state government for taking this patriotic and much belated action. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) takes the Punch editorial with a pinch of salt. Though we are not unaware of the crusader and anti-Islam character of the Punch from its inception, we are shocked that this newspaper can descend so low. The Punch is simply acting the script of some fanatical Christian leaders and groups who see nothing good in Muslims and who are determined to keep the current assymetrical system in the country without allowing any room for Muslims. We are aware of the existence of many level-headed and moderate Christians who are prepared to co-exist peacefully with Muslims but this group is not vocal. Rather the Punch has chosen to silence such moderate Christian groups and remain the major megaphone for champions of Islamophobia. MURIC calls on the authorities to watch media houses like the Punch. Stoking the fire of religious bigotry is not the right thing to do at this point in time when Nigeria needs people with clear understanding of the religious atmosphere in the country. That editorial is malicious, sinister and parochial, and that is to say the least. The Punch will continue to lose respect among Muslims so long as it fails to realise that this country is not for Christians alone. We reaffirm our demand for a national conference where all the demands of religious and ethnic groups will be tabled. We assert that the constitution of this country remains a fraud so long as it fails to recognize those Allah-given and fundamental rights of Muslims. Our democracy is fake if there is no equal rights. By declaring a public holiday in recognition of the 1st day of the hijrah calendar, Oshun State government has merely responded to the yearnings, aspirations, demands and protests of Muslims which date back to the 80s. Punch's condemnation of the declaration of hijrah holiday has only exposed its ignorance of the fundamentals of democracy. The hijrah holiday is a dividend of democracy and the right of Muslims. Democracy is all about participation and sense of belonging. Oshun government has given Muslims that much needed feeling of patriotism. Punch should stop fanning the embers of hatred. Punch needs to be told that the governor of the State of Oshun has simply exercised the powers vested upon him by the Public Holidays Act chapter 378 to enable Section 38 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which grants every Nigerian freedom of worship to see the light of day. Muslims in the South-West who constitute more than 55% of the total population in the region have long been deprived of this right in spite of several petitions and peaceful demands. Is this the Punch's sense of democracy? MURIC challenges the Punch or anyone else that feels bothered with this to go to court. We warn that no newspaper should use its priviledged position to pour invectives on public officers simply because the latter happen to be Muslims or because they take the right decision. It is cheap blackmail. Those who wrongly use the power of the press to intimidate and coerce should go back to the pages of history. It is ironical that an organ which is expected to be the voice of the voiceless has allowed religious bigotry to turn it into an instrument of tyranny. Punch has carried its Islamophobia too far. Neither can anyone in his right sense accuse the governor of the State of Oshun of favouring Muslims at the expense of Christians. A brief look at the statistics of government officials is enough to allay such a fear. In fact it is the Muslims in the state who have been accusing the governor of short-changing them in appointments to public offices. Perhaps we should ask Punch to tell us how many Muslims are in the state government's executive and how many are in the list of permanent secretaries recently appointed in the state? For the avoidance of doubt, we state the figures as they are at present: of the thirteen (13) commissioners in the state, only four (4) are Muslims, the remaining nine (9) are Christians; of the twenty nine (29) permanent secretaries, eight (8) are Muslims while the remaining twenty one (21) are Christians. Again, only five (5) of the fourteen (14) special advisers in the state are Muslims compared to the remaining nine (9) who are Christians. Why didn't Punch complain about this lopsidedness if indeed it represents justice and fairness? MURIC asserts clearly, unambiguously and unequivocally that Nigerian Muslims will continue to pursue their peaceful and legitimate demands for the rule of law, equal rights and justice in this Westo-Christian dominated country. We believe that this land belongs to us all. Nobody is going to run away for anyone. What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. Christians and Muslims must live peacefully together with fully recognised rights. A constitution that fails to fully recognise the rights of all is only fit for the dustbin. There has been enough bloodshed in the land. Punch should allow peace to rain. It should therefore stop the publication of provocative editorials to avoid setting fire to the keg of gun powder. Professor Is-haq Akintola, Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974 234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Twitter: ishaqakintola Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola I remain oppressed  untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered  |
Sunday, November 25, 2012
PAROCHIAL PUNCH EDITORIAL
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
PRESS RELEASE: TACKLE INSECURITY NOW
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
234-818-211-9714
Justice is the soul of peace
Monday, October 8, 2012
PATRIOTIC BILL: KUDOS TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
| 9th October, 2012 PRESS RELEASE PATRIOTIC BILL ET AL: KUDOS TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Nigerian senators recently drafted a bill that will disallow public office holders from sending their children abroad for studies. Known as the Patriotic Bill, the move seeks to drastically reduce the common but selfish practice of Nigeria's public officers who sponsor their own children and wards abroad while stinting the education sector at home of essential infrastructure. Exempted from the bill are children of public officers who are adults and fending for themselves; those pursuing courses in areas not offered in any Nigerian institution and those who are already pursuing programmes overseas before their parents got to public offices. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) lauds the Upper House for initiating this bill and for having the courage to debate it and move it forward. It is further proof of the progress of democratic practices in Nigeria. The National Assembly appears in recent times to be focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to ordinary Nigerians. We recall its noble stand on the removal of fuel subsidy in January this year. At present, the National Assembly is locked in a battle of wits with the presidency over the implementation of the 2012 budget. In our humble opinion, Nigerian legislators are waxing stronger in their oversight functions. MURIC however calls the attention of the National Assembly to the need for reviewing the exemption clauses in the bill. We frown at the exemption of public office holders whose children have been studying overseas before they became public officers. We believe very strongly that anyone who aspires to public office should be patriotic enough to keep his or her children or wards in Nigerian institutions. Those who already have children or wards abroad have the option of bringing them back into the country to continue their studies if they need public office at all. The reality is that our public officers abandon Nigeria's education sector because most of them train their children and wards overseas. They must be made to retain their children here so we can all improve the system together. The taste of the pudding is in the eating. How can they know it if they don't feel it? In addition, MURIC suggests that the Patriotic Bill be amended to include banning public office holders and members of their nuclear family from seeking medical attention outside the shores of Nigeria except in cases where treatment of such ailments cannot be done in the country. Our hospitals became public mortuaries simply because government officials show no interest in what transpires there. They go abroad to treat ordinary headache and abandon the poor masses who voted them into power to attend hospitals where drugs are not available and vital facilities are either malfunctioning or not available at all. Millions of poor Nigerians died prematurely as a result of this criminal and reckless behavior. Professor Is-haq Akintola, Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974 234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Twitter: ishaqakintola Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola I remain oppressed untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered |
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
PRESS RELEASE ON MUBI MASSACRE
| 3rd October, 2012 MUBI MASSACRE: THE HEIGHT OF BESTIALITY Unknown gunmen went berserk yesterday Tuesday 2nd October, 2012 at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State. About forty eight people were killed, many of them students. Both guns and knives were used as weapons in the melee. The attackers reportedly called their victims by name before killing them. Several others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are still undergoing treatment in different hospitals. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly deplores this barbaric attack. It is the height of bestiality. Whatever may have been the casus belli, the end does not justify the means. It is simply unthinkable that anyone would carry out an attack of this magnitude on an institution of higher learning. Yet what is most worrisome is the ease with which the attackers carried out the killings before melting into thin air. It is a serious indictment on our security agencies. This massacre further amplifies the helplessness of our security network. Nigeria is no longer safe. People are living in fear. The details of the attack further compounds our fear as it becomes difficult to point an accusing finger at any group. Among the victims were Christians and Muslims as well as people of various ethnicities. The Federal Government must look inwards to identify the pernicious policies which have caused this animalistic behavior. Something must be done to fill the empty stomachs of the hungry jamaheer (masses). Job opportunities must be provided for this angry army of unemployed graduates. This violence is scaring away investors both locally and internationally. Aso Rock must put its house in order before inviting foreigners to come and invest in Nigeria otherwise the international community will continue to laugh at us. The violence is killing incentive and creativity in young Nigerians. Talents are being suffocated by conscienceless power. The Jonathan regime is fast losing its moral right to remain in power as it has failed to fulfill a vital part of the social contract it signed with Nigerians, namely, the provision of security of lives and properties. While the ordinary Nigerian lives in fear, President Jonathan recently launched a special arm of presidential guards. This reveals the selfishness of the president. Jonathan is only thinking of himself. He believes everything is fine as long as he remains untouched. Aso Rock keeps digging in, thereby increasingly exposing the jamaheer to canibalisation, dehumanization and untold psychological trauma. MURIC charges Mr. President to wake up from his illusions. We did not vote for him for the purpose of surrounding himself with armoured tanks. There is an urgent need to properly equip the security agencies so as to enable them to perform their primary duty of protecting Nigerians. Jobs must be provided to take the hungry but angry youths off the streets. Professor Is-haq Akintola, Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974 234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Twitter: ishaqakintola Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola I remain oppressed untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered |
Saturday, September 29, 2012
INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE
29th September, 2012
NIGERIA AT 52: QURANIC PARABLE OF A BLESSED BUT WASTED COUNTRY
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) congratulates all Nigerians as the country clocks 52 on Monday 1st October, 2012. The only cheering news in our independence anniversary is that we are still alive to witness the occasion and that in spite of all odds, this country is still intact, at least to the ordinary eye.
The Glorious Qur'an appears to have encapsulated the Nigerian phenomenon in its parable of the blessed but wasted city when it says, "Allah sets forth the parable of a city enjoying security and peace, abundantly supplied with its needs from everywhere, yet it failed to appreciate the favours of Allah, therefore Allah made it taste hunger and fear because of the evil handiworks of its people" (Qur'an 16:112).
Nigeria has failed to harness its vast human and material resources and this has resulted in the tragedy staring us in the face today: unemployment, hunger, insecurity, disunity, corruption, bad roads, poor health facilities, epileptic power supply, leadership failure and boot-licking citizenship.
Nigeria has all it needs to be a great nation if both the leaders and citizens change their mindset. Leaders must be prepared to render selfless service. Followers must be transparently honest in places of work. Parents and guardians must properly discipline their children and wards. Above all, the fear of God and the love of our fellowmen must be the first consideration in all our dealings. Until this is done, Nigeria remains a blessed but wasted country.
Friday, September 28, 2012
ADEGBITE'S DEATH: NIGERIA LOST A GEM
| 28th September, 2012 PRESS RELEASE: DEMISE OF DR ADEGBITE: NIGERIA HAS LOST A GEM The sad death of Dr. Abdul Lateef Adegbite was announced this evening by the Ogun State Government. Dr. Adegbite was until his death the Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Seriki Musulumi of Egbaland. He was 79. We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) receive the news of his death with equanimity, submitting to the will of Allah since Islam teaches the philosophy of death as sine qua non. We commiserate with the government and good people of Ogun State, the President-General of the NSCIA Sultan Abubakar III, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, the Nigerian Muslim Ummah, the Federal Government and the generality of Nigerian citizens. Dr. Adegbite was the founding father of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in the early sixties. He also played a vital role in the establishment of the NSCIA in 1973. He lived a life of devotion and piety. He promoted the golden qualities of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Even at the peak of the worst crisis and irrational provocation, he never uttered an angry word. He worked assiduously for the progress of Nigeria. He was a great statesman, a patriot primus inter pareil, a lover of peace, a preacher of love and forgiveness and an exemplary leader. Generous to a fault, Dr. Adegbite was a friend of the weak. He projected the enviable principles of non-violence and constructive dialogue. A team player nulli secundus, he steered the ship of the Muslim Ummah with the dexterity of an egg-vendor and the skill of a juggler simultaneously spinning several breakables in the air yet breaking none. Nigeria has lost a gem. We pray that Allah in His Infinite Mercy will forgive him and repose his gentle soul in Al-Jannah Firdaws. Professor Is-haq Akintola, Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974 234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Twitter: ishaqakintola Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola I remain oppressed untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered |
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
ANTI-ISLAM FILM: CRIMINALIZE BLASPHEMY
| 26th September, 2012 PRESS RELEASE: ANTI-ISLAM FILM: CRIMINALIZE BLASPHEMY The whole world was recently jolted by news of a film disparaging Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Provoked Muslims in many parts of the world reacted angrily. There were violent demonstrations in several Arab capitals. Libya was worst hit as the American Ambassador in Benghazi was killed along with three of the consulate's staff. Muslim demonstrators also suffered casualties as many of them died during clashes with the local police. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns violent demonstrations. We prefer dialogue even in extreme provocations. We believe that superior argument is capable of disarming the worst enemies. Violence is a square peg. Provocation is a round hole. What we fight for is not always what we gain at the end of the day. In fact losses often outweigh the gains in such circumstances. The world today is sandwiched between two hydra-headed monsters: Muslim fanatics and Western extremists. Yet only a change of mindset on the part of Western countries can bring lasting solution. The West asks the Muslim world to check its fanatics but fails to restrain its own extremists from irresponsible publications. MURIC rejects this double standard in very strong terms. It is true that there is freedom of speech, but one man's freedom stops where he starts to breach the liberty of others. Licentious publications and reckless productions targeted at other religions are manifestations of religious intolerance. They constitute palpable threats to peaceful coexistence. Cases abound in which the West defends its own religious fanatics when the latter act recklessly. Salman Rushdie became a baby of Western countries in spite of the outrage in the Muslim world over his provocative Satanic Verses published in the 90s. The author of the Danish cartoon enjoyed the same protection. Now the same West is asking Muslims to ignore this outrageous film. The list of anti-Muslim acts is endless. Pig-heads are thrown inside mosques in the US. Faeces is thrown on the floors of mosques. Hate-pouring graffiti is painted on mosque walls overnight and the US government does nothing to stop all these in its own territory. MURIC is of the opinion that the West is sponsoring Islamophobia. This impression will remain so until countries of the West redefine their concept of free speech. Britain can extradite Abu Hamza to the US to face charges of hate-preaching but the same Britain sees nothing wrong in a hate film. Posterity must judge whether or not the West is guilty of hypocrisy. Chamberlain had earlier remarked that the problem with the world is "brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution". We strongly believe that blasphemy against any religion must be criminalized to serve as deterrent against potential blasphemers. The West must unleash some control mechanism on the advocatus diaboli within its system. We will hold the West responsible for the recklessness of its citizens until this is done. Muslims have suffered immense psychological trauma from this name-calling and witch-hunting. Taking a cue from the unfortunate event which took place recently in Benghazi, Libya, the West must learn the limits of sponsoring and arming dissidents in Muslim countries. Finally, MURIC calls on governments around the world to legislate against blasphemy. We urge the Nigerian National Assembly to take this very seriously and act on it most urgently. We nurse the fear that the world may not be the same again after the next blasphemous act. Professor Is-haq Akintola, Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974 234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Twitter: ishaqakintola Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola I remain oppressed untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered |