Again, Muslim groups demand holiday for Islamic New Year

FOR the umpteenth time, a number of Islamic groups have called on the federal and state governments to declare Muharram 1, the first day of the Hijrah calendar, as a public holiday.

The groups, including the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA) and Muslim Community of Oyo state (MUSCOYS), in separate Hijrah 1440 AH messages, said such a declaration would be in line with the rule of law, fairness and justice to Muslims in Nigeria.

Others are Muslim Consultative Forum (MCF), Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN).

The MMPN, in its statement signed by its President, Alhaji Abdurrahman Balogun, urged the Federal Government to give recognition to the Muslim New Year in the interest of fairness.

The group said declaring Muharram 1 a public holiday would give Muslims a greater sense of belonging.

Muharram 1, in the Islamic calendar, is equivalent to January 1, which is observed as a public holiday in Nigeria. Muslims worldwide will usher in the new Islamic year Hijrah 1440 AH on Tuesday, September 11.

“Muharram 1 is our own January 1. We want the federal and state governments alike to declare it as such in the interest of religious harmony in the country,” the MMPN said.

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MURIC, in what it described as a reminder statement, signed by its director, Professor Is-haq Akintola, on Thursday, contended that the Federal Government had been giving Nigerian Christians their own 1st January while ignoring the Muslims’ 1st Muharram.

This, according to the group, is not fair.

“We still stand by our demand for the declaration of 1st Muharram as Hijrah Day. We remind the Federal Government of our press statement issued on January 3rd 2018, in which we called attention to the Federal Government’s declaration of 1st January every year as holiday for Nigerian Christians. We demanded recognition for 1st Muharram of every year for Muslims. It must be emphasised that Islamic organisations (not MURIC alone) have been making this demand through petitions and appeals dating back to the 60s but successive administrations have turned the deaf ear to their pleas.,’’  the organisation said.

In the same vein, UNIFEMGA, in its message signed by Abdulwaheed Odeyimka (the National President), called on the government at various levels to recognise the Hijrah calendar and use it side by side with the Gregorian calendar.

It congratulated Muslims and non-Muslims alike on witnessing the dawn of another new Islamic year and urged them to reflect on their activities in the passing year.

In its message signed by its chairman, Alhaji Is-haq Kunle Sanni, MUSCOYS said the declaration and recognition of Hijrah was long overdue and called for its immediate implementation.

It called on the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to enter into dialogue with the Federal Government on the issue.

The Oyo Muslim community commended what it called the bold steps of the governments of Oyo and Osun states in recognising the first day of new Islamic year by declaring it a work-free day and urged other states, especially in the South West, to emulate them.

FOMWAN, through its National Amirah, Hajiya Halimah Mustapha, besides adding its voice to the call for a public holiday for Muharram 1, advocated a stringent legislation against rape in the country to deter perpetrators of the crime.

On its part, the MCF implored Muslims to rededicate themselves to the cause of building an egalitarian society and join hands with other citizens in moving the nation forward.

The MSSN, in its Hijrah message, commended governors who have declared Muharram 1 as public holiday and urged others as well as the Federal Government to follow suit.

The MSSN also expressed worry on the political tension being created by politicians ahead of 2019 general election.

The group, through its National President, Dr Taofik Yekeen, urged politicians to play the game according to the rules and warned Muslim students against being used by desperate politicians.