MURIC to Senate: Saturday, Sunday as recognised weekends exclude Muslims

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told the Senate that Nigeria’s recognition of Saturday and Sunday as official weekend days amounts to the exclusion of Muslims, calling instead for Fridays to be declared public holidays in line with Islamic worship traditions.

The group made its position known during the South West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution. 

Speaking through Dr. Jamiu Busari, who represented MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the organisation argued that the current weekend structure lacks religious balance and fails to reflect Nigeria’s Muslim population.

“Currently, Nigeria recognises Saturday and Sunday as weekends, both favouring Christians,” Akintola said, describing the arrangement as a colonial legacy that disadvantages Muslims. 

He explained that prior to British rule, Thursdays and Fridays were traditional weekend days for Muslims and that the change was imposed during colonial administration.

He also alleged that Saturday was initially a half-day before being extended to a full day under the regime of Gen. Yakubu Gowon to accommodate the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Akintola insisted that Fridays should be officially recognised as weekend days to ensure fairness. “We demand Friday be included as a recognised weekend day for Muslims,” he said.

He also highlighted the disparity in the religion-related national public holidays, noting that of the eight currently recognised, five benefit Christians while only three are related to Islamic observances. 

The holidays listed include Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Eid-Kabir, Eid Fitr, and Maulud. He urged the Senate to include the Islamic New Year as a public holiday to address this imbalance.

In addition to weekend and holiday concerns, MURIC called for constitutional amendments to establish Sharia courts in all South West states, including Edo. Akintola noted that despite the region’s significant Muslim population, there are currently no Sharia courts in the area.

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“This contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba experience before the advent of British rule,” he said, advocating for the creation of Sharia Courts of Appeal that would adjudicate only on Muslim matters and not affect non-Muslims.

He further called for official recognition of Islamic (Nikkah) marriage certificates, arguing that only Christian marriages conducted in churches or registries are currently accepted for official purposes. 

“A religious group’s marriage is officially accepted while another’s is ignored — this must change,” he said.

Responding to the proposals, the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jubrin Barau, represented at the hearing by Senate Leader Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, assured that all submissions would be thoroughly reviewed and presented to the National Assembly.

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