A storm is building over the absence of a place of worship for Muslims at the Rivers State University.

In the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, for hundreds of Muslim students freedom of worship and lawful assembly have taken on the character of an illusion.

There is mounting disquiet in the university community. The Muslim community has accused the management of religious intolerance, following the demolition of a makeshift Mosque where some students and staff of the university worship. Daily Trust investigations revealed that the Mosque was acquired about eleven years ago, but there was no structure built there. The worshippers used to observe their prayers on the floor. However, eight years later when the population of the students increased, the local chapter of the Muslim students society of Nigeria put resources together to erect a tent on the site. “But the management of the university used security operatives to remove the tent’’ said Sulaiman Abdul Awwal, an executive member of the Muslim students society of Nigeria, MSSN. According to him “thereafter, notable people from the state gave us money to construct another makeshift shelter. But we decided to lay a few blocks to separate the site from other facilities.” After the structure was raised, the management was said to have told the students that the Mosque was built on an unapproved site. “This prompted us to apply for a piece of land to build the Mosque,” Sulaiman added.

Daily Trust obtained a series of letters written to the management of the university to allocate a permanent site for the construction of a new Mosque, but their efforts met a brick wall as none of the letters were acknowledged by the university authority. When the structure was renovated on December 3 2011 to make the Mosque more conducive for worshippers, the university authority, through its director of works, directed that the work should stop. The works director argued that the Mosque was the only illegal structure that was erected in the campus, and threatened to demolish the structures two days after. A threat he carried out to the letter. However, the works director on January 25, 2012, brought in a bulldozer to flatten the structures. Despite pleas by the students to the demolition team, their properties were thrown away as the building was reduced to a rubble. Since then hundreds of Muslims in the university have had no place of worship.

Daily Trust investigation revealed that Christian faithful such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Pentecostal worshippers have befitting places of worship in the university campus, which was constructed by the university authority. There were a series of letters written by the Students and addressed to the National Universities Commission, Rivers State governor, the office of the Vice Chancellor, as well as the Supreme Council for Islamic affairs to intervene in the matter.  Despite all these letters no action was taken to remedy the situation. One of the letters addressed to the National Universities Commission and dated 7th March, 2012, reads in part  “On behalf of the Muslim students, Muslim community and other affected and concerned Muslims of Rivers State University of science and technology, we wish to express our grievances over the manifest intolerance and continued discrimination against Muslims, which resulted in the demolition of the only Mosque of the University of Science and Technology,  and the eventual arrest and detention of law abiding Muslim students by the authority of University of science and technology.”

“It is worthy that we bring to your attention that since the year 2000, the Muslim students and Muslim community of the school, as well as some Muslim organizations in the state, have made repeated demands, and numerous letters have been written to the school authority for the allocation of a parcel of land for the erection of Mosque in the School premises, as enjoyed by other organization especially our Christians counterparts of different denominations.”

Another letter dated 11th April 2008 and addressed to the Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi on the same issue, did not yield any result. The letter signed by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria reminded the Governor of the need to provide an all round development and transformation of youths into individuals that are reformed, and positioned to contribute positively to the growth of the society.

Part of the letter reads “the development includes the integrate areas of academics, social and religion. On the area of religious development the authorities of the University have done well in providing and aiding in the provision of mega structures for the Christian students. It is however sad to note that the Muslim faithful have not been catered for in this regard.”

“We have been observing our religious rights from a makeshift tent, susceptible to harsh climatic conditions,  which itself is constantly under demolition threats from the school authority as of the case of 19th March 2005 when the tent was demolished and our properties carted away.”

The student’s appeal to the governor to come to their aid and ensured that a befitting Mosque was constructed for them as was done for their Christian counterparts, did not receive any positive response. The appeal did not see the light of the day as the Students were again ignored.

In pressing further their demand for equal treatment, the students sent several delegates to well meaning Nigerians, prominent among them were Jamaatu Nasril Islam under the leadership of late Sultan  M. Maccido,  who sent the Emir of Illorin, Alhaji Sulu Gambari to plead and request on behalf of the Muslim community in RSUST, that the school should consider the interest of the Muslim students, by allocating land for them for the building of their Mosque, which also failed.

 The recent in the illegal acts of the authorities of the University occurred on 25th of January 2012. While the Muslim students were observing their morning prayers, some officials of the university came and forced their way into the makeshift Mosque that was erected by the Muslim students, and in a gestapo manner these officials started demolishing the structures. The makeshift structure was brought down and some Muslim Students were arrested and handed over to the Police.   

Ustaz  Oloyede, the Imam of Muslim Community and chairman of welfare, League of Imams  and scholars, Rivers State chapter told Daily Trust in Port Harcourt that  the Muslim community in the State have  explored  all the avenue  for dialogue to ensure that the Muslims in the university are carried along in the scheme of things. He said that having failed to achieve that through dialogue, the Students decided to seek legal action in the matter.

A legal action was instituted by the Students against the university authorities in the Federal High Court Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Lambo Akanbi. The applicants which included the ninety eight Muslim students in the university in a suit no FHC/PHC/CS150/2012 asked the court to declare that the failure and the refusal of the respondent [university authority] to allocate a portion of land to the applicants for a construction of Mosque to be used as a prayer house amounts to a flagrant breach of the applicants fundamental rights to freedom of thought and religion.

The applicant therefore sought the order of the court to compel the respondent to allocate a parcel of land within the university premises suitable for the construction of a Mosque “required for the congregation of the applicants and the observance of their daily worship.”

The court thereafter granted the applicants prayer and in a Judgment delivered on 19th February 2013 by Justice Akanbe ordered the university authority to allocate a piece of land to the Muslim students for the purpose of construction of their Mosque. Since the judgment was delivered the university authority has refused to comply with the judgment, as the students are yet to secure a place of worship in the university.

Counsel to the Students Oloriegbe and co. in a letter dated 7th may 2013 and addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the university reminded the university authority of the need for immediate compliance with the 19th February Federal High Court judgment, which directed them to provide a parcel of land suitable for the construction of a Mosque for the Muslim students of the University. The counsel in the letter stated “we have noticed with very much concern, the continued disobedience of your person and office to the clear mandatory and validly given orders of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt in the above matter, and which disrespect obviously persist even as we have patiently waited and observed the cynical disposition of the school authority to the said judgment, three months on.”

While waiting for the university authority to comply with the court order, the counsel said “Please be informed  that we have advised more patience on the part of our clients and assured them that in the event of your continued failure to comply accordingly, we shall be left with the inevitable option of returning to the court in furtherance of our complaint of your continued belligerence, while the famous form 48 and 49 shall be employed to compel your good self and all persons defying the authority.”  

Desmond Wosu, the university’s Public Relations Officer, ignored several telephone calls made by our reporter to get the reaction of the university on the issue. He did not also reply to three separate text messages sent to him concerning the matter.

http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/feature/56392-no-place-to-worship

Na wa for this country ooo, even after court jugdement, if this has been d other way round, CAN would have released a communique about how we want to islamise the state
May Almighty Allah guide us and grant us victory

May almighty Allah (SWT), come to their aid.

Waiting for comments on this act.

Daily Trust investigation revealed that Christian faithful such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Pentecostal worshippers have befitting places of worship in the university campus, which was constructed by the university authority.

“We have been observing our religious rights from a makeshift tent, susceptible to harsh climatic conditions,  which itself is constantly under demolition threats from the school authority as of the case of 19th March 2005 when the tent was demolished and our properties carted away.”

Ustaz  Oloyede, that  the Muslim community in the State have  explored  all the avenue  for dialogue to ensure that the Muslims in the university are carried along in the scheme of things. He said that having failed to achieve that through dialogue, the Students decided to seek legal action in the matter.

The court thereafter granted the applicants prayer and in a Judgment delivered on 19th February 2013 by Justice Akanbe ordered the university authority to allocate a piece of land to the Muslim students for the purpose of construction of their Mosque.

“we have noticed with very much concern, the continued disobedience of your person and office to the clear mandatory and validly given orders of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt in the above matter, and which disrespect obviously persist even as we have patiently waited and observed the cynical disposition of the school authority to the said judgment, three months on.”

While waiting for the university authority to comply with the court order, the counsel said “Please be informed  that we have advised more patience on the part of our clients and assured them that in the event of your continued failure to comply accordingly, we shall be left with the inevitable option of returning to the court in furtherance of our complaint of your continued belligerence, while the famous form 48 and 49 shall be employed to compel your good self and all persons defying the authority.”
http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/feature/56392-no-place-to-worship

 

Christians claim that this country belong to all of us
Accuse of muslims of trying to islamise this country
But persist in denying muslims their rights

Incidentally, I see all these as part of a grand plan to just keep muslims agitating and portray us as troublemakers
I am trying to recall anything that is truly the rights of Christians that they have to press for
Infact they appropriate what is not theirs and since muslims don't complain, they get away with it
But Muslims have to go to court for everything that is their normal inalienable rights!

Above all, I thank Allah for making me an adherent of a religion that SINCERELY believes in justice and fairness

golpen: May almighty Allah (SWT), come to their aid.

Waiting for comments on this act.

Very few Christians would condemn this action (hopefully I will be proven wrong)

BetaThings:  

Christians claim that this country belong to all of us
Accuse of muslims of trying to islamise this country
But persist in denying muslims their rights

Incidentally, I see all these as part of a grand plan to just keep muslims agitating and portray us as troublemakers
I am trying to recall anything that is truly the rights of Christians that they have to press for
Infact they appropriate what is not theirs and since muslims don't complain, they get away with it
But Muslims have to go to court for everything that is their normal inalienable rights!

Above all, I thank Allah for making me an adherent of a religion that SINCERELY believes in justice and fairness

That remains the fact, change the participants to Muslims depriving Christians, and the whole lot would have been crying persecution, it was written in our bible , this Muslims will persecute us.

^^^^
Muslims are happiest when they practise their religion freely
Christians are happiest while impeding muslims from practising their deen
How many comments do we have on this thread?
Just open a thread about a favourable event for muslims and you will see pages upon pages of hateful comments
Long and short of it. You need to MURDER your conscience to be a happy Christian

However, we remember

Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of thy Lord?
Qur'an 43:32

Hmmmmm May Allah b with us d Muslim of dis country