The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the federal government to recognise the first day of the Islamic calendar by declaring it as a holiday.
The demand was made in a press release issued on Wednesday, 4th August, 2021 by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
“Nigerian Muslims will be joining their fellow faithful around the globe to mark Hijrah Day on Monday 9th August, 2021. Hijrah Day is the first day of the Islamic year. It is called 1st Muharram because Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar which was divinely ordained in the Qur’an (9:36; 2:189; 10:5; 17:12).
“The Islamic calendar was instituted after the hijrah (migration) of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 C.E. (i.e. Christian Era or A.D.). The Islamic date is identified with A.H., meaning After Hijrah.
“MURIC and other Islamic organisations in the country have been asking for the recognition of Hijrah Day since a long time ago but the federal government does not appear amenable to this demand.
“We have therefore decided to amplify our demand this year as the date approaches while sensitising Muslim politicians and leaders at both state and federal levels.
“We are calling on all state governors who are Muslims to identify with this noble, peaceful and divinely rewarding struggle by declaring this coming Monday (9th August, 2021) as Hijrah Day holiday.”
Akintola also urged chairmen of local governments who are Muslims to encourage and support Islamic organisations and schools within their jurisdiction to organise events to mark the Day.
Such events, according to him, include public lectures, march past, rallies, visits to hospitals, orphanages, prisons and other charity services, including volunteer works like repairing damaged parts of the road used by the public.
He warned that a country’s Muslim president and Muslim governors who have the power to approve the Day but fail to do so, “their fellow Muslims will ask Allah to hold such leaders responsible yaom al-Qiyamah and to give them double punishment (33:67 – 68).”
“This is why Muslims in public offices should not only be conversant with their religion but must also be bold enough to practise, manifest and seek to entrench it among fellow Muslims.
“No crime has been committed so long as they do not stop non-Muslims from practising their faiths. Therefore they should ignore attempts by non-Muslims to blackmail them.”