Nigerian Muslims demand their own New Year holiday from FG
- MURIC says Muslims receive the celebration of New Year holidays declared yearly by FG with mixed feelings
- The group's director Prof. Akintola says Christians get more holidays yearly and so Muslims deserve to have their own holiday
- MURIC says the FG should sit down with Muslim leaders in the country to know how to go about the declaration
An Islamic group Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for recognition of the 1st Muharram as a public holiday for Muslim New Year.
In a statement released on Monday, January 1 and signed by MURIC Director Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the group said if the federal government could recognize the Christian New Year holiday, then Muslims should also get their own holiday as well.
It also called for more Muslim holidays because Christians get more holidays than the Muslims yearly.
The statement read in part: “As usual and since colonial days into Nigeria’s post-independence period, the Federal Government declared today, 1st January 2018, as a public holiday.
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“MURIC observes that today’s holiday fully consolidated the two-day Christmas holiday and enabled Nigerian Christians to kick off the 2018 Christo-Western Gregorian calendar.
“However, conscious Nigerian Muslims, particularly stakeholders in the welfare of Muslims as well as the growth and development of Islam in Nigeria, approached today’s holiday with mixed feelings. First and foremost, we express happiness for our Christian neighbours who were able to spend the day giving full practice, expression and manifestation of their faith. On the other hand, we experienced a feeling of despair, isolation and marginalization.
“Our feeling of marginalization arises from the reality of the Nigerian situation which has conditioned Muslims in the country for religious segregation and subjected them to spiritual apartheid.
“Here we are today, enjoying January 1st holiday which was declared by the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria in recognition of the Christo-Western Gregorian calendar. But the same FG which recognizes this Christian calendar is yet to declare 1st Muharram a public holiday in recognition of the Islamic calendar despite several petitions and appeals to it dating back to the 60s. Surprisingly, some people still complain that Nigeria is Islamised
“Why is FG granting holiday for a false god of Rome and denying same for Allah the Creator of all things (Qur’an 2:29), the Judge of all Judges (95:8), Master of all masters (51:58) and the King of Kings (3:26).
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“We do not wish to be misunderstood: we are not agitating for the cancellation of anything which FG has given its over-pampered favourite, whether 1st January is based on falsehood and idolatory tendency or not is not our business, let them continue to enjoy it. But give us our day for crying out loud!
“Nigerians enjoy a total of eight (8) public holidays in a year. These are Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year Day, Good Friday, EasterMonday, Id al-Kabir, Id al-Fitr and Maulud an-Nabiyy. Five (5) of the eight holidays belong to Christians (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 1st January, i.e, New Year Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday). Only three (3) holidays belong to Muslims, viz, Id al-Kabir, Id al-Fitr and Maulud an-Nabiyy.
“It is time for FG to add 1st Muharram to the number of Muslim holidays. This will bring the total number of holidays enjoyed by Muslims to four only while Christians still continue to enjoy five. This year’s 1st Muharram is likely to fall on Tuesday, 11th September, 2018 or thereabouts.
“Finally, we advise FG and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to interact with the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) for the exact date of 1st Muharram this year and declare it as a holiday.
NAIJ.com had similarly reported that some Islamic groups on Friday, October 7, called on the federal and state governments to declare Muharram 1, the first day of the Islamic Hijrah Calendar 1438 A.H, a public holiday.
The groups include Muslim Community of Oyo state (MUSCOYS), Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and National Council of Muslim Youths Organisations (NACOMYO).
Others include Muslim Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA) and Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN).
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Source: Naija.ng