Btlsblog Latest News & Gossip
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has alleged that Christians in Nigeria enjoy more holidays than Muslims in Nigeria.
MURIC made this assertion in a statement released on Friday morning while reacting to claims made by CAN that Christians are being persecuted in the country. MURIC in its statement said the number of public holidays including New Year day being enjoyed by Christians is proof that Christians are more favoured than Muslims.
MURIC’s statement signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, reads;
As Nigerian Christians joined their counterparts throughout the world to celebrate the New Year on Wednesday, 1st January, 2020, an Islamic human rights organization has alleged lopsidedness, partiality and persecution of Muslims in the manner the Nigerian government dishes out its holidays.
Rising from an emergency meeting where it deliberated on the latest allegation of persecution by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has insisted that the last public holiday which was declared by the Federal Government on 1st January, 2020, has exposed CAN as a body which enjoys shedding crocodile tears. This was contained in a press statement circulated on Friday, 3rd January, 2020, by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
MURIC said in the statement, “CAN claims it is being persecuted but fails to substantiate its allegation in concrete terms. However, the last holiday of Wednesday, 1st January, 2020 which is an annual event has exposed CAN. Nigerian Christians enjoy the New Year holiday on the 1st of January every year even without asking for it because that was the arrangement made by the British colonial master. But CAN still claims ‘persecution’ even though it is placed at an advantaged position.
“Nigerian Christians have 1st January to enjoy their first day of the year. Nobody can deny that this happened two days ago. But when the Muslims’ first day of the year comes (1st Muharram), there will be no holiday. When will CAN put itself in the Muslims’ shoes? Or rather when, indeed, will the Nigerian government give the Muslims what the colonial master denied them but gave the Christians? When will the Muslims get justice in this country? Here is persecution of Muslims that even CAN cannot deny. It happened just two days ago and we all saw it? Or is the granting of holiday for a Christian occasion and the denial of same to Muslims another form of persecution of CAN?
“Christians have five out of the eight holidays enjoyed by Nigerians. Muslims have three only. Yet CAN claims persecution. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year Day, Easter Monday and Good Friday are all for Christians. We dare CAN to deny it. Are these not concrete priviledges enjoyed by Christians? Are the five holidays we mention here mere fallacies? Muslims only have three, namely, Id al-Kabiir, Id al-Fitr and Maulud an-Nabiyy. Is there any mathematical inexactitude in our calculation? Should CAN be complaining at all with this kind of setting?
