The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC,
has alleged that the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, deliberately excluded
Muslim women in the ongoing nationwide recruitment exercise of the corps.
The rights group claimed that by
requesting applicants to appear in white shorts, white round neck T-shirts,
canvass and socks, the FRSC deliberately did not want women of the Muslim faith
to take part in the exercise.
MURIC, in a statement signed by
its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on
Thursday morning, described the requirement as a deliberate religious
marginalization, economic deprivation and undisguised discrimination against
Muslim women.
The Islamic rights organization
wondered why FRSC would issue a directive which was allegedly designed to
exclude a section of Nigerian citizens.
The statement continued, “The
whole world knows that Muslim women do not wear shorts. It is therefore strange
to hear the FRSC requesting applicants of both sexes to appear in shorts. FRSC
is a federal road safety concern and its recruitment exercise should be
inclusive
“Or is FRSC telling us that it
only recognizes Christian women alone? Is FRSC telling us that it cannot
tolerate the sight of Muslim women? Is this federal agency only interested in
giving jobs to Christian women to the disadvantage of their Muslim
counterparts?
“Is FRSC unaware of the economic
implication of this among the Nigerian Muslim population? Is this not a
deliberate attempt to empower Christians and continuously impoverish Muslims?
“We believe it is a deliberate
attempt to exclude Muslims. We are disappointed that FRSC has joined the clique
of anti-Muslim institutions that claim secularism in order to shortchange
Muslims. Muslims are being shut out of the economy of this country. Muslims are
being dragged to the bottom of the pyramid of poverty in Nigeria. Instructions
which make it impossible for Muslims to participate in nation-building are
being rolled out on a daily basis in public and private sectors.
“We remind FRSC that the
marginalization of any section of the Nigerian population by any agency is a
violation of Section 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria which stipulates that “The composition of the Government of the
Federation, a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such
Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or
council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise
the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to
promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the
Federation”
“MURIC therefore rejects the FRSC
recruitment exercise for failing to recognize the diversity of our population.
It is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional to issue directives which are
designed to exclude any section of the country. The exercise can best be
described as incomplete, sectional and discriminatory.
“To complete the exercise, FRSC
authorities must give Muslim women their own opportunity to participate. A new
date must be fixed for the recruitment of Muslim women in the next few weeks.
Nigeria belongs to us all. MURIC will not fold its hands while our common
patrimony is shared out among Christians alone.
“We advise FRSC and all uniformed
formations to take note of this observation in order to correct the anomaly in
future exercises. Marginalisation is the oil which lubricates the engines of
bitterness, animosity and rancour in any heterougeneous community like Nigeria.
Part of the problems facing Nigeria today is the failure of public institutions
and agencies to accept and fully integrate Muslims into the system. Most
institutions assume that the anti-Muslim system bequeathed by the colonial
master is the ideal thing. They never bother to look around to know if it is
all-inclusive”.
In a message for Muslim women,
MURIC called on them to demand “your Allah-given fundamental human rights and
that includes the right to employment, right to decent living and right to the
dignity of your human person. Nobody under the sun has the right to ask you to
expose your body. The Glorious Qur’an affirms that Allah Himself created
mankind with dignity. (Qur’an 17:70). Why then should you allow anyone to
deprive you of your Allah-endowed dignity?
“We urge the Federation of Muslim
Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) to sensitise and mobilize Muslim women
across the country for the coming struggle which is aimed at emancipating
Nigerian Muslim women from the clutches of neo-imperialists. Freedom is never
offered on a platter of gold. It is no longer fashionable to be docile.
“The Qur’an asserts, ‘Why should
you not rise in the cause of Allah to defend men, women and children who are
oppressed due to their weakness? The weak ones cry out, “Our Lord! rescue us
from this city (Nigeria?) whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from
Thee one who will protect us, and send to us a helper!” (Qur’an 4:75-76).
“If you dare to struggle, you
will dare to win. Muslim women in Nigeria must keep their eyes open. They must
adopt ‘discrimination against one is discrimination against all’ as a motto.
The Nigerian Muslim woman has become an endangered specie and this is the only
way she can be defended because the authorities never show any concern for
their freedom. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
The statement ended by calling
for a special recruitment exercise for Muslim women to be conducted by FRSC in
the next few weeks, adding that, “We advise the federal agency to consult
FOMWAN on the modalities.”
This is another group comming up,FRSC please reply MURIC accordinly if you can.God help this country.
ReplyDeleteDirectives are meant to be followed, it has nothing to do with any religion. If the Muslim girls can't obey the directives, it's not by force to enroll into FRSC. There're other government institutions they can feel comfortable in.
ReplyDelete