As several millions of children are resuming back for learning in the 2024/2025 academic session in Nigeria especially in Primary and Post-primary schools, the Lagos Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern (LAGOS MURIC) has urged all stakeholders in the Southern part of the country to accord millions of Muslim children their deserved constitutional and Allah-given Fundamental human rights to learn as Muslims peacefully without any discrimination.
This was contained in a statement released by the chairman of MURIC, Lagos State Chapter, Dr Busari Muhammad Jamiu on Monday 11th September 2024 in Lagos.
The statement reads:
“The 2024/2025 academic session begins this week and next week across Nigeria where millions of pupils and students are expected to return back to classes. As we wish Nigerian pupils and students a promising and fruitful academic session, it is an undisputable fact that whilst education has no equal, it must be acquired under a conducive and friendly environment.
For decades, this could not be affirmed in Southern Nigeria; from Lagos to Akwa Ibọm, Delta to Osun, Oyo to Rivers, Ebonyi to Ondo and other States in the South South, South East and South west Nigeria, Muslim children are denied fundamental rights of practicing their faith in some schools where they learn.
Exempli gratia, female Muslim pupils and students are denied the adornment of hijab for decades until recent Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the rights of these innocent children on hijab in 2022 (https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/breaking-supreme-court-upholds-use-of-hijab-in-lagos-schools/%3famp).
Despite this landmark legal vindication, some overzealous teachers and administrators are still taking laws into their hands and oppressed Muslim children unabatedly. In the same vein, the sacredness of Friday for Muslims to observe obligatory congregational prayer is being tampered with in some schools. Examinations and programmes are sometimes fixed at the Jumah period while some schools do not even allowed the students to observe prayers at all in the school premises.
Also, our children and teachers are sometimes forced to attend religious programmes disguised as extra curricular activities in favor of a certain religion while offering prayers in Islamic ways during the school assemblies as enjoyed by the Christian children is an herculean task to be accomplished in some schools. All these are flagrant contradiction to the provision of Section 38(1) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended.
To this end, unequivocally, MURIC hereby urges all school administrators and stakeholders who we believed are loco parentis to all school children to be God-conscious, just and humane in dealing with Muslim pupils and students as they do with their other counterparts. They must not discriminate against anyone.
We are all Nigerians, this country belong to everyone and Muslims and their children are not second citizens. Acquisition of education under friendly atmosphere remains rights of everyone which must not be subverted. MURIC stands for justice and we are watching. We believe in peaceful co-existence and an egalitarian society where Paul or Ogundele is not favored over Abdullah or vice versa. The time is now! Let all the children learn, enjoy, prosper and grow for the betterment of our country and humanity.
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