An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has explained why it does not support street protests.
In a statement issued on Friday, 4th October, 2024 by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group argued that most street protests end up in violence which hurts innocent people, disrupt normal activities and set back the hands of the clock.
MURIC also said protests are square pegs while the fallouts are round holes while the motives are often short in public interest but long in hidden agenda. The group also differentiated chaotic street protests from organized peaceful rallies held in designated places.
MURIC spoke on the heels of the #FearlessOctober protest which was held on Tuesday, 1st October, 2024.
The full statement reads:
“MURIC headquarters has found it necessary to clarify its stand on street protests in view of recent insinuations from certain quarters.
“Those who accuse MURIC of speaking for the government of the day missed the mark by a wide margin. They tell us government has its own mouthpieces, as if we do not know. They ignore the fact that we are the dialogue group and this is why we activate our dialogue mechanism each time there is a sign of trouble.
“For better understanding, the motto of our group, MURIC, is ‘Dialogue, No Violence’. This can be factchecked on our website (www.muricnigeria.com). It is not a new concoction. It has always been so since the establishment of the organization way back in 1994 (thirty years ago). This informs our pacifist stand and our love for dousing tension in the Nigerian society.
“This motto and our devotion to it in both letter and spirit has stood us in good stead against our detractors and Muslim haters generally who, perceiving us as an encumberance between them and the poor innocent Muslims whom they love to oppress, have often portrayed us (wrongly, of course) as terrorists, fundamentalists and troublemakers.
“These Muslim haters often ask the security agencies, particularly men of the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest us on flimsy excuses. But the Nigerian security agencies know their onions. They are very professional generally, except for very few. They look before they leap. They know that violence is not in our character and we have no link whatsoever with terrorists.
“Our only interest and focus is the welfare of Nigerian Muslims and the protection of their Allah-given fundamental human rights. Neither do we shout wolf where there is none.
“For the purpose of microscopic clarity, intervening and taking action whenever something goes wrong or things are about to go awry is a standing instruction of the Prophet of peace, Muhammad the son of Abdullahi (Peace Be Upon Him). He said, ‘Whoever sees any wrong should change it with his hand. If he cannot use his hands to change it, he should use his tongue. If he cannot use his tongue, he should use his heart (i.e. pray against it), and that is the weakest of faith.’
“We do not have to abandon this prophetic directive just because government has its own megaphones. We cannot look the other way just because government’s spokespersons are there. We have a civic duty and a religious responsibility to douse tension.
“Even then, governance, like security, is a collective responsibility. But our detractors want MURIC to play the ostrich. Unfortunately some will still misunderstand us because only the deep can call to the deep. Almighty Allah says, ‘Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who know not?’ It is only men of understanding who will remember’ (Glorious Qur’an 39:9).
“Detractors should therefore stop accusing us of acting government script simply because we appeal for calm. The intention of those who say people should not speak in favour of government is to isolate those in government and gag those who see sense in what government has done.
“This is not fair enough. There is nothing wrong if people see that trouble is coming and they speak out. This is exactly what the Prophet (SAW) commanded. It is not mandatory that we should all dance to the gallery and there is nothing wrong with appealing to people who feel aggrieved to sheath their swords?
“Unknown to most critics, MURIC’s regular appeals to people to engage government in dialogue instead of embarking on street protest favours ordinary citizens more than the government. Who bears the brunt of the outbreak of violence? Whose shops are looted? Whose handsets are snatched? Whose vehicles are damaged by mobs?
“That is not to say that we seek to rob Nigerians of the right to protest. Citizens have the right to express their grievances through peaceful demonstration. But that right is relative and elastic. The rights of those who go on protest stops where the rights of other citizens begin.”
“That is why we are shocked by the attitude of some protest organisers who have turned demonstrations to scenes of horror or, at best, business enterprises. There is no iota of doubt that this attitude is bound to becloud public interest.
“For the avoidance of doubts, it is chaotic street protests that we oppose categorically. The ideal protest that we support is the stationary type, the type that has designated centre or centres, particularly with the protection of security agencies while the organisers ensure that it does not spill elsewhere.
“We assure Nigerians that we practice what we preach. For instance, MURIC partook in the massive demonstration held at the Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos in 2013. In conjunction with other Islamic organisations, we were at the 2017 protest held at the House of Representatives, Abuja, against the Nigerian Law School for refusing to call a law graduate who wore hijab (Amasa Firdaus) to bar.
“We reiterate that our decision not to join street protests was informed by the fact that most protests end up in violence which hurts innocent people, disrupt normal activities and set back the hands of the clock for poor people. We advise Nigerians, particularly the youth, to shun protests which have the potentials of becoming chaotic, violent and destructive.
“In our closing remarks, we affirm that this is a policy statement which is not targeted at any individual, private organization, political group or government agency. We assert that street protests are square pegs while their fallouts are round holes. There is a huge difference between chaotic street protests and organized peaceful rallies held in designated places. The motives behind street protests are often short in public interest, long in hidden agenda.”