Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013— 47
M
USLIMS in the SouthWest under the umbrella of the Joint Muslims’ Action Forum (JOMAF) have called for Sovereign National Conference (SNC), through which a true Constitution would emerge. The Forum at its maiden public progamme in Osogbo, the Osun State capital at the weekend tagged “The Nation Prays,” was of the view that “it is through true constitution that restructuring of the polity that will guarantee equal rights of the citizenry would be achieved.” The event, held at the open field of the Government Technical College was attended by clerics across the zone, traditional rulers, Islamic organisations, students and youths organizations. Prof. Lakin Akintola of the
Tel: 08098097290 email: isholaism@yahoo.co.uk
South-West Muslims demand for National Conference •Call for use of Hijab in public schools, Hijrah holiday The duo urged those in authorities to create an enabling environment through which rights could be demanded unhindered to allow for peace
,
The continuous demand of rights by the Muslims should not be seen as act of militancy because we have been civil enough in going about it and we never close the chapter of dialogue to achieve this purpose
,
Lagos State University (LASU), and The Nation newspapers columnist, Dr. Femi Abbas who were among the guest speakers on the occasion asserted that “calling for and demanding for rights peacefully is not a sin.
and tranquility in the country. The gathering seized the opportunity to demand for using of Hijab (head scarf) by female Muslim students in all public schools, Hijrah public holiday, teaching of morals in schools
as well as adequate representation of Muslims in public offices in accordance with their populations in various states. While praying for peace, progress and development of the country, Dr Abbas urged Nigerian to work toward achieving the aforementioned, saying “it would amount to hypocrisy for people to pray for peace and at the same time behave in a manner capable of breaching the peace.” The gathering thereafter threw their weights behind the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on state policies that they said were in conformity with divine injunc-
tions that harped on equal rights for the citizenry, promising their continued support to the governor in as much as he governed well and gave everybody his rights. Earlier in his remark, JOMAF Chairman, Alhaji Kola Usaamot urged the government to look into the appointment of teachers, lamenting the dearth of Islamic Studies teachers across board. “We wonder who will teach our students Religious Knowledge when those who are to teach the subject teachers are not recruited,” he said. Chief Missioner, Ansar-udDeen Society of Nigeria,
Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad urged Aregbesola to ensure rights of citizens are always protected irrespective of political and religious affiliations. He said citizens demand for their rights should not be seen as public disturbance. “The continuous demand of rights by the Muslims should not be seen as act of militancy because we have been civil enough in going about it and we never close the chapter of dialogue to achieve this purpose,” he said. Prof Akintola chided government inconsistency in tackling AIDS scourge. “How can a government that is sincere in prevention of further spread of the deadly disease be encouraging naked dressing and forbid usage of hijab in schools,” he said. In his response, Governor Aregbesola expressed appreciation to the gathering, assuring them that he would not relent in his efforts at giving every citizen his due as dictated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His administration, he said, is poised to implement policies that would uplift the state and the nation at large. He enjoined them to continue praying for the country.
Achieving peace... (2) By Harun Rasaq
I
T is observed from history that, whenever the Muslim turned to the commandment of Allah, He (Allah) assists them to the level of their effort. A good example of such assertion is the Saudi Arabia where we believed that Shariah is operational virtually in all spheres of life; although with some reservation by some people on the contrary; it is acclaimed that it has the lowest rate of crime, corruption and other vices in the world. In fact, you can leave your car running outside a supermarket and still find it intact after purchasing your needs from the supermarket.
Excellent social infrastructure The security of lives and property can be gauged by their excellent social infrastructure such as road network energy, health care education etc. Indeed, some of these places are rated better than some cities in the Western world when we talk of moral and social security despite, Allah still fulfilled His promise by rewarding them for their little effort in His path, since Allah, promise are but truth.
In Nigeria, statements abound to the effect that Nigeria is one of the leading Muslim countries in the world. This assertion is a paradox and cannot be acceptable to Muslims who are familiar with the teachings of Islam. How many Muslims in Nigeria submit themselves to the full course of Islam on all aspects of human endeavours? How many Muslim in Nigeria posses the right aqiidah (doctrine) i.e to believe in Allah and all aspects of faith in Islam and not to ascribe partner with Allah; Ibadah (worship) i.e to carryout act of worship namely: Salat, fasting, Zakat, Hajj etc. correctly and for only Allah; Akhlaq (behaviour): i.e to behave well to both Muslim and non-Muslim. A sincere Muslim does not wait till his or her state becomes a shariah state before he practice Islam fully. Shaykh Hassan Al-Hudaybiyy was quoted to have says: “Entrench Islam in your heart and Allah shall entrench it for you on your land”. Therefore, if this is the position of Muslim in Nigeria, nobody should judge Islam with the behaviour of a Muslim who neither accepted Islam fully nor make use of preventive and curative prescriptions of Islam in solving their problem.
From left: Alhaji Kola Usaamot, JOMAF Chairman, Chief Missioner, Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Hon Muhammed Ibrahim during a progamme tagged “The Nation Prays,” organised by the Joint Muslims’ Action Forum (JOMAF) at Government Technical College, Osogbo recently.
From left: Abdul-Lateef, Afusat Ogunlewe and Mrs Adebusayo Odivbri during the graduation ceremony of Afusat held recently at Uniport.