MURIC Berates CAN’s Vitriol Over Schools Closure For Ramadhan

MURIC Berates CAN’s Vitriol Over Schools Closure For Ramadhan Fast

By Adamu Mohammed Dodo

…Says CAN’s middle name is ‘double standard’; it encourages breach of the rights of Muslims who are in the majority in South Western Nigeria while it pretends to protect Christian children who are an infinitesimal minority in the North

…Bauchi, Kano Katsina and Kebbi lead, more states to join, following CAN’s lawsuit threat

…CAN couldn’t challenge the government, the university authorities or the striking lecturers when the public universities were closed for almost a complete session or the IPOB’s human rights infringement in the southeast, it’s now spitting venom as it did in the early stage of the introduction of Islamic banking.

..Muslims do not protest against Saturday and Sunday holidays, against Good Friday and Easter Monday or against any Christian activity, why should CAN bother with what’s more convenient to Muslims in Muslims dominated states?

the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a faith-based civil liberties organisation has cautioned the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to mind their business not to meddle in the Muslims affairs in Muslims dominated states seeking to support students by suspending schools activities to face the Ramadhan fasting at home with ease.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has issued an ultimatum to the governments of Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi states, demanding the reversal of their directives mandating a five-week closure of schools for the Ramadan fast.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, CAN President, Daniel Okoh described the move as discriminatory and a violation of the rights of non-Muslim students, warning that it would pursue legal action if the orders were not rescinded.

“The closure of schools across these states, ranging from nursery to tertiary levels, for an extended period disrupts academic schedules and threatens the educational advancement of millions of students,” CAN said

Hitting back, in a statement Monday, issued by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC accused CAN of double standard for encouraging breach of the rights of Muslims who are in the majority in South Western Nigeria while pretending to protect Christian children who are an infinitesimal minority in the North.

“Four Northern states (Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi) have extended the closure of schools in their states to give Muslim students a stress-free Ramadan period. But the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has criticised the action.

“CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, expressed grave concern over the impact of the closure on Christian students and accused the state governments of breaching their rights.

“MURIC is bewildered by the insistence of CAN on playing the role of a meddlesome interloper in the affairs of Nigerian Muslims. Firstly, Ramadan is a completely Muslim issue. It involves no other faith. CAN should stay out of it.

“Secondly, Muslims are the overwhelming majority in those four states and the state governments in a democratic country like Nigeria should not deny the majority Muslims what they wish. Furthermore, those four states have given the Muslim majority what they desire most based on the principle of ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number’.

“CAN may want to learn more about allowing the majority to have its way from Jeremy Bentham’s ‘A Fragment on Government’ (1776) and his ‘Introduction to Morals and Legislation’ (1789). Those two books expatiated upon the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number. CAN may want to note that Muslim students are ‘the greatest number’ in those four states in this case.

“The phrase, ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number’, is attributed to Jeremy Bentham, British philosopher, born February 15, 1748 and died June 6, 1832. ‘The greatest happiness for the greatest number’ is a principle that states the best action is the one that brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. It is a core tenet of utilitarianism, a philosophy that emphasises the usefulness of the consequences of actions.

“The extension of schools’ closure by the governors of those states is based on the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest portion of the populations of those states. Christian students have not been discriminated against in any form whatsoever by that action. So what is CAN’s headache here?

“How have the rights of Christian students been infringed upon in this situation? Did those state governments threaten not to allow them to resume after Ramadan? Were the Christian students asked to come to school everyday during Ramadan to sweep and clean the classrooms? What exactly does CAN want? The apex Christian body should stop playing God in the affairs of Muslims.” MURIC said.