The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on state and federal tertiary institutions and agencies to emulate the University of Port Harcourt by suspending all academic and official activities during Salah and other festivals for which the Federal Government declares a holiday.
This appeal follows an incident where MURIC raised objections after the University of Port Harcourt organized a field trip for the course ‘Geological Mapping’ during the recent Eid al-Adha (Eid el-Kabir) festival.
In a statement, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the founder and Executive Director of MURIC, commended the university for its prompt response to the objection by banning all academic and official activities during festive periods.
The statement reads:
“The University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) has responded positively to the objection raised by our organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), against the field trip for a course examination known as ‘Geological Mapping’ (course code GLY 414.2) by banning all academic and official activities during Salah, other festivals, and events for which the Federal Government (FG) declares a holiday.
“MURIC has reliably confirmed that the authorities of Uniport have instructed all departments and faculties to adhere strictly to public holidays declared by FG and to ensure that no official university programme or activity is held around that period.
“Though belated, we regard this as the right step in the right direction. By taking this action, Uniport has admitted that it was wrong to have embarked on that field trip on Salah day (Sunday, 16th June, 2024), including the two days declared as public holidays by FG (Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th June, 2024).
“MURIC will not ask for apologies, press charges, or seek payment of damages in any form because Islam is a religion of forgiveness, tolerance, and magnanimity. We are not pursuing this campaign to massage our ego; rather, we are compelled by a call to protect the Allah-given fundamental rights of Muslims wherever they are infringed upon.
“We therefore assure the authorities of Uniport that we are not interested in vendetta as long as lessons are learnt and necessary boundaries are set. We have nothing to gain from any disciplinary action taken against anyone once those involved have shown remorse. It is also our hope that other state and federal tertiary institutions and agencies will borrow a leaf from this incident.”
MURIC’s statement highlights the importance of respecting religious holidays and ensuring that no academic or official activities conflict with these periods, advocating for broader compliance across all institutions.