• MURIC holds Ramadan lecture as Disu hails group’s consistent advocacy
Prominent Islamic scholar and academic, Prof. Tajudeen Yusuf, has advocated for the active involvement of Muslims in the political process, saying it would end marginalisation and discrimination in southwest Nigeria.
The call was made at a Ramadan lecture organised by the Lagos State chapter of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a faith-based initiative at the forefront of advocacies for Muslim rights in Nigeria.
MURIC, founded in 1994 by renowned human rights activist, Prof Lakin Akintola is also famed for its activities that spotlight and kick against marginalisation of Muslims in the country, including discrimination against hijab and exclusion in political appointments.
The Ramadan lecture took place at Rahmatu Islamiyyah Multipurpose Hall, Ikeja on Saturday, March 30, 2024, with the theme, “Political and Economic Marginalization of Muslims in Southwest Nigeria: The Way Forward”.
The Professor of Actuarial Science at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) stressed the need for voter education, mobilization and support for Muslim candidates who prioritize the interests of their communities.
“We need to encourage active involvement of Muslims in the political process at all levels, including local governance, state assemblies, and national politics. This can be achieved through voter education, mobilization, and support for Muslim candidates who prioritize the interests of their communities,” he said.
Prof. Yusuf, in his presentation monitored by Muslim News, suggested practical ways to tackle the spate of marginalisation and discrimination that face Muslims in the southwest region.
He added, “Part of the strategies will also be to advocate for the fair representation of Muslims in government institutions, including appointments to key positions in public administration, judiciary, and other decision-making bodies. Promote policies that ensure diversity and inclusivity in governance structures. Let’s create a database for Muslim professionals and constitute a very powerful lobby group for Muslims spread across the labour unions and civil service.
“To tackle the trend of marginalisation, we also should support initiatives that promote economic empowerment among Muslims, including entrepreneurship training, access to credit facilities, and investment in sectors that benefit marginalized communities. Encourage the creation of job opportunities and equitable distribution of resources.
“Muslims in the Southwest should continue to invest in education and skills development programmes targeting Muslim youths to enhance their capabilities and competitiveness in the labour market. Ensure access to quality education, including vocational training and higher education opportunities.
“Another key strategy is to promote interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among Muslims and other religious communities in Southwest Nigeria. Build bridges of understanding, mutual respect, and cooperation to reduce religious tensions and promote social cohesion. On this, we can invite Christians to Muslim programmes and even sponsor joint programmes on shared values such as security,” he said.
He also proposed the establishment of more organisations that will carry out similar objectives like MURIC, just as he said existing Muslim organisations should be rebranded to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
“We need dedicated organisations that will advocate for the protection of the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities through legal reforms, enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and accountability mechanisms to address violations of human rights. Strengthen institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law and promoting justice for all citizens.”
Mentioning other strategies, Prof. Yusuf said implementing them in a coordinated and sustained manner will ensure that Muslims in southwest Nigeria can work towards overcoming marginalization, promoting social inclusion, and contributing to the overall progress and prosperity of the region.
According to him, “The political and economic marginalization of Muslims in southwest Nigeria has been a significant issue, stemming from historical, social, and political factors. While Nigeria is a religiously diverse country with a significant Muslim population, the southwest region, primarily dominated by the Yoruba ethnic group, has experienced tensions and disparities between Muslims and Christians.”
Don’t lament over the current challenging times: Lakin Akintola
In his remark, the Chief Host and Executive Director MURIC, Prof. Lakin Akintola, said he never thought of the possibility of a state chapter holding such a wonderful event.
“But Allah has made it a fait accompli through a faithful servant of His, the chairman of the Lagos chapter, Dr. Busari Jamiu Muhammad, an energetic, trustworthy and committed Muslim brother,” he said.
Prof. Akintola noted that MURIC, established three decades ago, was borne out of the yawning gap in human rights groups interested in defending Nigerian Muslims.
He said, “MURIC was established in 1994 and it is thirty years old today with 35 state branches (we have no branch in Anambra State), Alhamdulilah. I trained under Dr. Beko Ransom Kuti of the Campaign For Democracy (CD). I formed MURIC after discovering that no human rights group existing at the time was interested in defending Nigerian Muslims. Instead, they partook in Islam-bashing. I discovered that a special Islamic human rights organization was needed to protect, promote and project Allah-given fundamental human rights of Nigerian Muslims.”
The MURIC director said instead of lamenting over the current challenging times, Nigerian Muslims should reflect on Allah’s declaration that He would test believers with fear, hunger, scarcity of money and death (Glorious Qur’an 2:155, 29:2-3).
“It therefore behoves us (leaders and followers) to seek Allah’s forgiveness, change our ways and finally, work harder, support and pray for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration. We have been responsible for what happened to us because just as our lawmakers arrogate all the milk and honey in the land to themselves and some of them actually went to excesses in extravagance, avaricious greed and selfishness, we, the citizenry, went all out in self-immolation and the denigration of our dear country, Nigeria.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket is our own whether we like it or not. We must realise that its success is our success and ditto if it is vice versa. We therefore owe it a duty to continue to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. We must note that those who lied against them, cursed and fought them tooth and nail will claim justification for their evil acts if they fail. We must never allow that to happen. Let us support them by working harder. Let us support them with prayers for their protection. Let us continue to pray for the survival of Nigeria.”
The event was attended by personalities including CEO, BAT Computers Ltd, Alhaji Taoreed Babatunde Akande; CEO, Moreyink Ltd, Alhaja Azeezat Adeyinka Salahudeen; Executive Director, Muslim Public Affairs Commission (MPAC), Mal. Disu Kamar, among others.
We acknowledge MURIC’s decades of Muslim advocacies: Disu
For his part, the Executive Chairman of MPAC Nigeria acknowledged the central role MURIC has been playing in the lives of both Muslims and non-Muslims in Nigeria, saying that the human rights organisation has for decades championed the course of Muslim advocacy.
“For some of us that are playing some roles in that sector now, the Director of MURIC, Prof Lakin Akintola remains our role model,” he said.
According to him, “a few years after I left University, I came across some programmes organised by Tele Da’wah of Prof Lakin Akintola around 1994 and that was an interesting dimension for me in terms of general orientation towards Islamic activism.
“Alhamdulillah, as things are now, we continue to work in the shadow of forerunners like him and he continues to be an inspiration for most of us. His rewards are definitely with God as he has achieved a lot for us in this country and we will continue looking up to him as a role model. An exemplar.”
Regarding advocacy on Muslim issues, Mal. Disu added his voice to an important point made by the lecturer, Prof Yusuf Tajudeen, saying it is really time for more hands to be on deck.
“As we witness upsurge and in fact proliferation of anti-Muslim behaviour and actions around us, online and in real life. The tasks are enormous and we definitely need more capable people across the entire scope of the work protecting and defending Muslim interests.
“The enormous challenges facing the Ummah, part of which continue to seep into our society from the global Islamophobia movements cannot be adequately addressed by a few organizations like MURIC and MPAC. There is no way to adequately confront a multimillion-dollar hate industry, inspired, funded and motivated by full-time flamboyant Islamophobes, with a few and poorly funded activist groups that work mostly on part-time
“As we are serving a primary constituency of more than one hundred million in this country, in some respects, our works and their impacts go beyond this primary constituency, even the nation,” he added.
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