The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
has asked the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to either endorse or
disown ‘This is Nigeria’ video by Folarin Falana, aka Falz the Bahd Guy.
The Muslim body had announced
that it will no longer approach the court to seek a ban on the video.
In a statement on Tuesday, its
Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, urged CAN to declare its position on the matter.
“We have no other option than to
openly ask the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) if it is behind this
move. Is CAN leadership aware of this segregational campaign? Did CAN initiate
it or did it just endorse it? Should we also believe rumours of CAN’s
surreptitious meetings with high ranking foreign diplomats in unholy hours of
the day? Is CAN aware of the security implications of such meetings? Is CAN
with Nigeria or against Nigeria? Et tu CAN? It had better not be.
“What kind of people are we that
we continue to drag ourselves backwards while the rest of the world is going
forward? Election campaign should be issue-based. Religion is not given any
room in politics in other climes. Why should we be looking at the faith of a
candidate and not his pedigree, his integrity and his antecedence?
“It is a pity that CAN still
pushes primordial sentiment like religion to the front burner when advanced
countries only consider credibility and ability to deliver. Why is it that CAN
cannot tolerate Muslim leadership after Muslims have tolerated Christian
leadership for so long?” He asked.
The Islamic human rights outfit
also wondered why Muslims should not be allowed to rule for the same long
period that Christians had been in office.
“It is on record that of the 16
wasted years of PDP rule, a Muslim (former President Umaru Yaradua) only ruled
for two years and he died in office. Christians ruled for 14 years
(ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo: 8 years and Goodluck Jonathan: 6 years). So
why can’t you live and let live?
“Even as divisive and destructive
as it is, the idea of Christians voting for Christians only still remains naïve
and utopia. Who told CAN that it can install a Christian president with an
all-Christian vote? It is a mirage. CAN is day-dreaming. What if Muslims also
ask their fellow Muslims not to vote for any Christian candidate? What do you
think will happen? But we will not descend so low. We will not ask Muslims not
to vote for Christian candidates. Whoever is behind this video and the
anti-Muslim campaign in general is promoting anarchy,” it added.
The organization argued that
“Nigeria is a heterogeneous, multi-religious and multi-cultural project which
belongs to nobody and it is bigger than any section. For any progress to be
made, Muslims and Christians as well as all ethnic groups, it said, have to
sink their differences.
“We all have to work together.
Nigeria is a wrong candidate for ‘possessing your possession’ slogans.”
Akintola admitted that Nigeria
was blessed with good Christian candidates and credible Muslim candidates.
He urged Nigerians to create an
enabling environment for the emergence of such good candidates. Narrowing the
search to any particular religion or ethnic group, he argued, is not only self-defeating
but also counter-productive.
“In a nutshell, we reiterate our
conviction that we do not believe in religious politics. We Muslims are
prepared to peacefully coexist with our Christian neighbours in Nigeria. We
urge Muslims to get their PVC and vote for both Christian and Muslim candidates
of their choice. The only proviso is that such candidates must be reformers and
game changers, not looters, kleptomaniacs and politicians in the daytime but
armed robbers at night,” he said.
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Is this man demented or deranged??? How has Falz's video concern CAN??? How did he become a Professor???
ReplyDeleteI think he is both demented and deranged. Backyard professor
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