Education / News / Religion

MURIC kicks against NOUN holding exam during prayer

The Muslim Rights Concern has kicked against the examination timetable of the National Open University for the year 2022.

This was made known in a press statement by the Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Thursday.

The human rights organization accused NOUN of preparing an examination timetable that leaves no room for Jumu‘ah prayer, thereby forcing Muslim candidates to write under duress and compelling Muslim invigilators to work in a dehumanizing and despiritualizing condition.

The group described the examination timetable as anti-Muslim and neo-imperialist. The statement said: “The timetable of the 2022 POP Final Examination Timetable released by the National Open University (NOUN) has revealed that Muslim students and Muslim staff of the institution were forced to write the aforementioned examination and invigilate same respectively during the period of the Jumu‘ah prayer from Tuesday 19th April to Tuesday, 17th May, 2022.

“The infringements on Allah-given fundamental rights of the Muslim students and staff occurred on Friday 22nd and 29th April, 2022. Unless adequate steps are taken by the authorities of NOUN to correct the anomaly, it is most likely to continue on Friday, 6th and 13th May, 2022.

“For those who may be wondering what is wrong if Muslim students and staff are made to write and invigilate examinations during the Jumu‘ah period on Friday, it is akin to compelling Christian students and staff to write examinations and to invigilate on Sunday mornings.

“This cannot be acceptable to Nigerian Christians and it is for the same reason that it is a taboo among Muslims and anybody who forces them to do it is regarded as standing between them and their freedom to worship Almighty Allah, their Supreme Creator. It is not only outrageous, repulsive and detestable, it is also anti-Muslim and neo-imperialist. It smacks of articulated religious fanaticism.

“Already, the NOUN authorities have infringed upon Allah-given fundamental human rights of Muslim students and staff involved in the examination exercise on two different Jumu‘ah service days, namely, Friday 22nd April and Friday 29th April, 2022.

“Why do you hate Muslims …

Foreign / News / politics

MURIC to President Erdogan: Stop persecuting opposition

The Muslim Rights Concern has told the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to stop the persecution of opposition in his country.

MURIC said this in a statement on Monday ahead of the State Visit of the Turkish president to Nigeria.

The State Visit will take place on Monday (today).

MURIC berated the Turkish leader for persecuting the opposition back home in Turkey. MURIC accused Erdogan of arbitrary arrest, torture, political killings, long imprisonment of opposition figures and critics, particularly members of the Hizmet Movement.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive in Nigeria today, Monday, 18th October, 2021 on a state visit. He is expected to sign some business deals with his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari. However, Erdogan’s visit leaves a sour taste in the mouth because of his undemocratic and tyrannical practices back home in Turkey.

“Born on 26th February, 1954 at Rize, Turkey and presently leading the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi), Erdogan who became prime minister of Turkey in 2003 clinged to power for eleven years before metamorphosing into a president on August 28, 2014. He cooked up a phantom coup on 15th July, 2016 to justify sweeping changes to the constitution and he arrogated extensive powers to himself as president one year later.

“What followed was arbitrary arrest, torture, political killings, long imprisonment of opposition figures and critics, particularly members of the Hizmet Movement. Travelling documents of key members of Hizmet were seized, and their properties were confiscated. They were thrown in jail in their thousands without fair trial. Members of the group who were outside Turkey were disallowed from returning.

“Though Hizmet is not a political movement that could threaten his position, yet like all dictators and tyrants, Erdogan was envious of the group because the latter had become extremely popular.

“Erdogan uses its diplomats in Nigeria to haunt Turkish citizens and members of the Hizmet Movement who are rendering humanitarian services in the country. They were declared persona non grata in Turkey and disallowed to enter their country of origin. Their …

Law / News / politics

MURIC to FG: We join Falana in seeking pardon for jailed 54 Soldiers

Sequel to a letter written by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), to President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking presidential pardon for soldiers jailed for refusing to fight Boko Haram, the Muslim Rights Concern has added its voice to the call for pardon for the soldiers.

MURIC’s call was made on Thursday in a statement through its Director and Founder, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

MURIC said: “We endorse every sentence in the letter written by foremost human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), asking President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon soldiers jailed for refusing to fight Boko Haram with poor weapons. This case has unassailable merit and Mr. Falana’s letter has addressed all the necessary issues.

“We strongly believe that the punishment meted out to the soldiers were a miscarriage of justice. We also frown at the way the soldiers were discharged from prison after serving their term without any concern for their welfare. It is an invitation to anarchy. These are soldiers trained as members of the special forces. They were not ordinary soldiers. Releasing them into the society was therefore a most dangerous move. They may fall into wrong hands.

“However, we appeal to the released men to continue to be of good conduct, to remain law abiding and to always remember that Allah has a reason for everything. While they were in jail, many soldiers died fighting the insurgents. Some lost their limbs. But Allah has preserved them. It is also worthy of gratitude to Allah that none of them died in jail.

“Therefore our message to the 54 soldiers is this, ‘Have faith and thank God. It is possible that the Supreme Creator, in His divine wisdom, decided to keep you in jail in order to keep you alive or to keep you away from a worse fate.’ After all Prophet Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him) was imprisoned for no just cause and he came out victorious (Glorious Qur’an 12:35; Genesis 39:20).

“The Muslims among them should remember what Allah said in the Hadith Qudsy, ‘Whoever is not pleased …

News / Security

Jos Killings: Only justice can stop reprisals — MURIC

The Islamic human rights organization, Muslim Rights Concern has again demanded stiff punishment according to the law for the killing of 23 Muslim travelers on August 14, 2021.

The group insisted that reprisal killings will continue unless justice is swiftly and effectively served.

MURIC stated this on Tuesday in a statement issued by its Director and Founder, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

The statement said: “Once again we are constrained to reiterate our strong condemnation of the brutal killing of Muslim travellers which occurred on Saturday, 14th August, 2021 at Rukuba, Jos, the Plateau State capital. The attack was carried out by Irigwe Christians mourning their lost ones. That attack was wicked, callous and animalistic. “However, we are of the opinion that killing with impunity will not stop unless justice is swiftly and effectively served. A situation where every brutal killing is anchored on a previous attack is Bohemian and unacceptable. It smirks of a society whose norms, values and law enforcement machinery has totally broken down. This must not be allowed to happen.

“This cycle of reprisal killings can be traced back to the Zango-Kataf crisis of 1992. Subsequent killings would have been averted if the reports and recommendations of the Okadigbo panel had been implemented. But criminal elements continue to hide under the canopies of religion and ethnicity to unleash mayhem on innocent people because of the laxity in the system.

“What we need therefore is systemic change. State governments must stop providing cover for criminals. This aptly applies to the situation in Plateau State today as we find Governor Lalong giving a ludicrous excuse to extenuate the sadistic killing of innocent and unarmed Muslim travelers. Unfortunately this is not the first time Lalong will aid and abet the killing of Muslims.

“We therefore reiterate our demand that the investigations into this latest massacre must be handled by the Federal Government. For this reason, we commend the strong intervention of the Inspector General of Police and the Nigerian Army in the restoration of normalcy in Jos and its environs. We …

Education / News

MURIC gives JAMB thumbs up for tackling challenges

An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern, has given the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board the thumbs up.

According to MURIC, JAMB deserves commendation in view of its swift response to challenges and disciplinary actions meted out to erring Computer Based Test Center during the ongoing JAMB examinations around the country.

MURIC said this on Wednesday in a statement by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

It said: “The Joint Admissions Matriculations Board (JAMB) deserves accolades in view of its swift response to challenges and the disciplinary actions meted out to erring Computer Based Test (CBT) Center during the ongoing JAMB examinations around the country.

“We are not saying JAMB is perfect, but the Board has performed creditably well having succeeded in keeping its head above in the murky waters of the Nigerian ecosystem. We monitor national examinations in this country and we know what happens in many of them. But JAMB has been able to rise above the maddening crowd.

“The examination body has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that it will not take any nonsense from anybody. The swift manner with which JAMB delisted twenty four (24) CBT centres within 24 hours of receiving credible reports of their misdemeanour leaves us in no doubt whatsoever that there will be no hiding place for those who fall short of expectations.

“A case in point is one of the CBT centres in Lagos where candidates who were billed to start the examination by 7 am on Saturday, 19th June, 2021 were kept sitting in the hall from 7 am to 3 pm doing virtually nothing. Meanwhile the 9 am batch as well as other batches were kept waiting outside. They were only told to go home around 3.30 pm after wasting the whole day. The centre’s excuse was that its computer systems failed to come up.

“We were very excited when the centre’s name was found among the 25 delisted centres 24 hours later. We are still marvelling at the efficiency and high level discipline manifested by JAMB. This …