Constitution amendments: MURIC seeks recognition of Islamic New Year, marriages, others

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the recognition of marriages conducted in mosques by Islamic clerics to ease the burden of those who engage in Muslim marriages. The Founder/Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement wondered why Christian marriages contracted inside churches or registries are held sacrosanct everywhere in Nigeria whereas Muslim […]

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the recognition of marriages conducted in mosques by Islamic clerics to ease the burden of those who engage in Muslim marriages.

The Founder/Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement wondered why Christian marriages contracted inside churches or registries are held sacrosanct everywhere in Nigeria whereas Muslim marriages (nikah) are not recognized for any official purpose.

Prof. Akintola, who made his position known during the Senate Committee on Constitutional amendments South West Zone’s public hearing, said Muslim couples find themselves in a cul-de-sac each time they presented their Islamic marriage certificates for official purposes, saying it is paradoxical that in a democracy, one marriage conducted by a religious group is acceptable while the other is not.

He, therefore, said it is expedient the constitutional amendment revisits the Nigerian Marriage Act (1990) to ensure that Islamic marriages are recognised in all official circles like Christian marriages.

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He also said that despite Nigerians enjoying a total of eight holidays in a year, Muslims have three while Christians celebrate the remaining five.

“The planned constitutional amendment should make the restructuring of Nigeria’s holidays mandatory so that the 1st Muharram (or Hijrah) holiday which Nigerian Muslims have been clamouring for can become officially recognized nationwide. This will bring the total number of Muslim holidays to four while Christian holidays remain five.

He went on to call for the introduction of Friday as a work-free day to assume parity with the Christians’ Sunday as well as the extension of Shariah Courts to the South West to adjudicate on civil matters like inheritance, marriage.

“Immigration officials engage in regular stereotyping of Muslims who apply for international passports. They intimidate Muslims particularly at the point of taking pictures. Muslim males are ordered to remove their caps; Imams are coerced into removing their turbans; bearded Muslims are compelled to shave or trim their beards; hijab-wearing Muslim women are made to remove their hijabs or ordered to draw their hijab backwards to reveal their ears. The same scenario plays itself out in drivers licence, national identity card offices and during registration for elections.

He added that if Nigeria is truly a democracy, its laws must not only be inclusive throughout the country but also participatory.