MURIC Calls for Sharia Courts and Friday Work-Free Day.
An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has urged for constitutional amendments to establish Sharia courts in all South West states of Nigeria. Additionally, the group has requested that Fridays be recognized as public holidays to honor Muslim worship practices throughout the country.
The founder and Executive Director of the organization, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made this proposal during a public hearing on constitutional review held in the South West region. He was represented by Dr. Jamiu Busari, a group leader, who addressed the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
Akintola emphasized that the proposed changes would promote inclusiveness and protect the rights of Muslims in Nigeria’s South West region, noting that no Sharia courts currently exist there, despite Muslims forming a significant majority. He argued that this situation contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba experience before British rule.
He called for the establishment of Sharia courts in all South West states, including Edo, given their Muslim populations. Akintola also demanded that constitutional provisions be enacted to compel state governors to establish Sharia Courts of Appeal, which would exclusively handle Muslim matters, ensuring that non-Muslims are unaffected.
Furthermore, Akintola urged the National Assembly to designate Fridays as public holidays for Muslim worship. He noted that Thursdays and Fridays had traditionally been recognized as weekends for Muslims during the pre-colonial era. Currently, Nigeria recognizes Saturday and Sunday as weekends, which primarily benefit Christians.
He asserted that this weekend structure was imposed by colonial authorities, with Saturday initially being a half-day before it was later recognized as a full day during General Yakubu Gowon’s regime, reportedly to accommodate Seventh-Day Adventists. Akintola argued that the existing weekend arrangement marginalizes Muslims and lacks religious balance.
He stated, “We demand that Friday be included as an officially recognized weekend day for Muslims.” He pointed out that Nigeria has eight national public holidays, five of which favor Christians while only three are designated for Muslims. The holidays include Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Eid-Kabir, Eid-Fitr, and Maulud.
Akintola also advocated for a constitutional amendment to make the Islamic New Year a public holiday, noting that this is already recognized in some states and should be adopted nationwide. Additionally, he called for the recognition of Islamic marriage certificates for official purposes, highlighting that while Christian marriages conducted in churches or registries are officially acknowledged, Nikkah marriages are often overlooked, creating difficulties for Muslim couples in formal settings.
“This disparity is discriminatory in a democratic society,” he said. Akintola argued that it is unfair for one religious group’s marriage to be legally recognized while another’s is ignored, asserting that Islamic marriages should be given equal legal recognition as Christian marriages.
The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria supported the call for judicial reforms to create Sharia courts. The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) also proposed the establishment of courts specializing in Islamic finance to support Muslim economic practices.
In response, Deputy Senate President Sen. Jubrin Barau assured that all demands would be considered. He was represented by Senate Leader Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele during the public hearing in Lagos. Barau stated that the Senate would review all submissions and report their findings to the National Assembly.
Other organizations, including youth, student, and women’s groups, also made presentations during the hearing.
