MURIC Slams Moghalu For Stopping Mosque Building – TheNigerialawyer

The new Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways
Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu, has allegedly issued
instructions for the stoppage of the construction of a mosque in
the agency’s Warri area office. The structure was at roofing level
when the order for stoppage was given.

An Islamic human rights organization has however slammed Moghalu
for what it described as denial of Allah-given fundamental rights
of the Muslim staff in the Warri area office of NIWA. In a message
circulated to newsmen on Monday, 2nd December, 2019, the Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) lamented that Moghalu’s action was
tantamount to religious persecution. The statement was signed by
the group’s director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“Moghalu’s stop work order on a mosque in NIMA’s Warri area
office should be condemned by all right-thinking Nigerians. It is
arbitrary, vengeful and inimical to peaceful coexistence. We
understand where Moghalu is coming from. He simply comes across as
the typical extremist Christian in office who is determined to use
his position to oppress Muslims under him.

“The Moghalu factor in Christian-Muslim relationship vividly
illustrates the tragedy of the Nigerian nation. Nigeria is the only
country where religious fanatics are allowed to break the law in
order to persecute people who do not belong to their faith. It is
noteworthy that those who have been responsible for persecuting
Muslims over the hijab affair, forceful removal of caps and
intimidation over the wearing of beards are all Christians. They
continue to oppress Muslims knowing fully well that what they are
doing is illegal and that the law permits Muslims to wear their
hijab, cap, turban and beards.

“What is disheartening about Moghalu’s action is that he is a
well educated man and he knows that what he is doing is wrong. Like
many other islamophobic government officials, Moghalu is a metaphor
for religious intolerance. Yet the hypocrisy in the persecution of
Muslims in this country lies in its limitation to the South only.
It is either in the South West or the South East.

“But why is this so when we operate the same constitution in
both North and South? Why do state governments and overzealous
Christian officials in the South persist in persecuting Muslims?
What is happening in Southern Nigeria is that instead of following
due process, a Christian in office wants to use his authority to
oppress Muslims. This will not promote cordial relationship among
the adherents of different faiths in the country. It must stop. Can
these officials attempt half of what they are doing to Muslims in
the South if they are in the North? Could Moghalu have attempted to
stop the construction of a mosque in any Northern area office of
NIWA, say Kano or Sokoto?

“There lies the hypocrisy. People like Moghalu are yet to learn
how to follow due process and how to act within the law.
Unfortunately the Nigerian justice system is so slow that it may
take ages if law abiding Muslims approach the courts to assert
their Allah-given fundamental human rights. The hijab cases
presently in court in the South West are good examples. It is this
slow process that our oppressors exploit.

“The danger here (which MURIC does not pray for) lies in the
fact that Muslim patience may run out any time soon and a militant
group may emerge to hijack the struggle of Southern Muslims to
emancipate themselves from the clutches of oppression. But must we
fight over virtually everything? Must we kill and maim ourselves
before our rights are given to us?

“Moghalu should learn the art of living and letting live. His
stop work order is outrageous, provocative and divisive. That order
should be withdrawn in the interest of peaceful coexistence. Those
Muslims in NIWA Warri area office are not embarking on something
illegal by seeking to have a place to worship. So why is Moghalu
allergic about the construction of a mosque in NIWA’s Warri area
office? Whose interest is he protecting? Why do Nigerians take joy
in depriving people of other faith of their rights? Are they
unaware that denial of rights is a threat to peace? Justice is the
soul of peace. Ceteris paribus, those who deny one cannot enjoy the
other.”

The group narrated examples of good neighbourliness cited
recently by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday 29th November, 2019 was
present at the (NSCIA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) as the Special
Guest pof honour and he spoke of his admiration for a Northern
Muslim governor who has been renovating churches vandalized by Boko
Haram. He also reminded his audience that an Imam in Plateau State
has won accolades for protecting more than 200 Christians in his
village from being killed by Muslim attackers. He sheltered them in
his mosque. Even when the attackers threatened to invade the mosque
to kill the Christians, he told them they would have to kill him
first.

“Our message to Dr. George Moghalu is this: As the head of the
agency, you must belong to all. You cannot be a good neighbor of
your Muslim staff by disallowing them from building their mosque.
We ask you to emulate the Northern Muslim governor who renovated
churches and the Imam who protected Christians. Every Muslim staff
of NIWA is under your protection and so are the Christian staff.
But in as much as you remain a Christian and in the interest of
harmonious coexistence, you must jealously guard the interest of
the Muslims and ensure that they have no cause to complain of
persecution.

“Nigeria will be a land of peace if all Muslim leaders also
follow this golden rule. Protect the interest of your Christian
staff if you are the boss and give them no cause to doubt your
sincerity. We are not asking you to over-pamper them but at least
give them their rights and let due process be due process. Oppress
no single Christian and allow the system to run its normal course.
Everything will fall in place once the system is respected by
management.

“MURIC therefore calls on Dr. Moghalu to lift his stop work
order or explain to Nigerians why the mosque should not be
completed. Moghalu should explain to Nigerians why Muslims in Warri
area office do not deserve a mosque when there is a church and a
mosque in his headquarters office in Abuja for Christians and
Muslims respectively. Is Moghalu aware that some area offices of
NIWA also have mosques? Has he ordered the shutting down or
demolition of those? Even Aso Rock has both a church and a mosque.
It is the beauty of our great country.”

MURIC explained why Muslims need mosques in their places of
work.

“Muslims are not being unnecessarily difficult or fussy by
seeking to have mosques in their workplaces. Unlike in
Christianity, the religion of Islam demands that Muslims must pray
five times daily and two of the five times fall within working
hours. These are (Zuhr and ‘Asr). The two are observed daily
between 1 pm and 3.30 pm. Although each prayer may not last longer
than five or ten minutes at most, Muslims may have to leave the
premises to look for a mosque to pray if there is no mosque within.
So it is always better to have a mosque at the workplace to avoid
waste of man-hour.”

The civil society group also appealed to leaders of the APC to
intervene.

“We are not unaware that Moghalu is also the National Auditor of
the ruling party (APC). So we are appealing to his party leaders to
persuade him to tow the path of reason. It is equally important to
let him know that any arbitrary transfer of Muslim staff at this
period will be correctly interpreted as vendetta.

“On a final note, we urge the new MD of NIWA, Dr. Moghalu, to
allow peace to reign by lifting his stop work order on the Warri
area mosque of NIWA.”

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