An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has rejected the examination timetable recently released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the conduct of the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

WAEC scheduled the examinations to begin on Tuesday, August 11 but MURIC said the timetable clashes with the period of Friday Jumu’ah prayers.

The group stated its position in a press statement issued on Monday by its director and founder, Ishaq Akintola.

Below is the statement by the group:

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC REJECTS WAEC’S ANTI-MUSLIM TIMETABLE

An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has rejected the examination timetable recently released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the conduct of the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 11th August, 2020. The organisation based its rejection on the clash between WAEC’s timetable and the period of Friday Jumu’ah prayers.

This was made known to newsmen in a press statement issued on Monday, 3rd August, 2020 by Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director and Founder of the organization.

The group said, “WAEC has again fixed some of its subjects for the period of the Muslim Friday Jumu‘ah prayer in its examination which begins next week Tuesday 11th August, 2020. These are papers that Muslim candidates are also expected to take. The implications are very serious.

“WAEC is deliberately creating a wedge between young Muslims and the mosque. WAEC is making it impossible for Muslim youth to worship. The examination body is encroaching upon Allah-given fundamental rights of Muslim candidates to access freedom of religion as guaranteed by Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At best, the examination body is reducing the chances of good performance among Muslim candidates.

“A quick glance at the timetable recently released by WAEC shows that there are at least three clashes between examination periods and Muslim prayers on Fridays: Management-in-Living (2 pm, Friday 14th August, 2020); Literature-in-English (2 pm, Friday 21st August); Health Science (1.30 pm, Friday, 4th September).

“This timetable is exclusive, sectional, parochial, insensitive and provocative. It is an invitation to anarchy. It is designed to cause pain to Muslim candidates. It is therefore the handiwork of sadists and anarchists. It smirks of an anti-Muslim machinery oiled by the passion for hate and injustice.

“This is in spite of efforts made by us to guard against this kind of clash. It will be recalled that MURIC issued a proactive press statement on Tuesday 23rd June, 2020 under the caption ‘Consider the Friday Question in Your Timetable: MURIC Tells WAEC’. This press release was expected to remind WAEC of the need to avoid the present controversy. But WAEC ignored it.

“The examination body cannot claim ignorance of this reminder because it was well published by the media.

“We are perturbed by WAEC’s recalcitrance. The fact that the examination body ignored the above advice shows that it deliberately targets Muslims for persecution. It inflicts unbearable psychological trauma on young Muslim candidates. It is unacceptable. This has to stop.

“There is also enough evidence that this is not the first time WAEC will fix examinations during the Muslim prayer period on Friday. MURIC’s struggle with WAEC over the Friday question is of great antiquity. Unfortunately WAEC does not appear ready to learn from history

“We will cite at least two past clashes and our interface with the examination body. The timetable clashed with Jumu‘ah service in 2015 and MURIC cried out thereby forcing the examination authority to adjust its timetable. Again in 2018 WAEC reenacted the same scenario. MURIC kicked again and WAEC adjusted its timetable

“It was due to this constant occurrence that we took a proactive step two months ago by cautioning WAEC not to allow its timetable to clash with the Jumu‘ah period this year but the leopard refused to change its skin. Is WAEC deaf? How can a public institution be so insensitive? What have the Muslims done to deserve being treated like blacks in apartheid South Africa?

We wonder why it should be so difficult for WAEC to leave out three hours only (from 12 noon to 3 pm) on Fridays in its examination timetable to allow Muslims to worship. Muslim candidates need three hours because the prayer usually starts around 1 pm. They need at least one hour to get to the mosque, one hour for the service inside the mosque and another one hour to return to the examination hall.

“Muslims everywhere in the world do not joke with the Friday Jumu‘ah prayer. This special weekly prayer has divine and scriptural basis in Qur’an 62:9-11 and any attempt to circumspect it by any means constitutes a challenge to divine authority. Justice also demands that the Muslim prayer period be respected by all, especially by WAEC because the Christian Sunday remains sacrosanct. Perhaps WAEC examinations should be held on Sunday morning if it will not respect the Muslim prayer period.

“What right does WAEC have to force Muslim candidates to write examination during Friday prayer time when the examination body does not fix its examinations on Sunday to disturb Christian worship? Is WAEC deliberately destabilizing Muslim candidates? How can a Muslim candidate be in the right frame of mind to sit for an examination slated for 2 pm on a Friday when he must be in the mosque from 1 pm to 2.30 pm? What is WAEC’s gameplan? Is WAEC’s timetable planned by double agents?

“MURIC calls the attention of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education to WAEC’s excesses. Muslim candidates should not be blamed if they refuse to write examination under duress. Any examination that infringes upon freedom of religion is ultra vires, unlawful, illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional. Candidates for such examinations acting alone or in conjunction with their parents have every right to use every lawful means to stop the examination.

“WAEC is therefore invited to take notice of impending action by Muslim candidates unless it adjusts its timetable to accommodate Muslim Jumu‘ah service during the coming examinations. Muslim candidates must be given three hours every Friday. This is non-negotiable. Nigerian Muslims will liberate themselves from slavery, serfdom and religious apartheid if government is lackadaisical. The only thing MURIC opposes is violence.

“Our message to WAEC is very clear and simple: ‘We warned you early enough but you decided to dare Nigerian Muslims with your satanic timetable. We are returning it ‘back to sender’. Adjust your timetable and stop provoking Muslims forthwith. Let the Muslims go.”

#LettheMuslimsgo.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)



https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/406477-muric-reacts-as-waec-fixes-examinations-for-friday-prayer-time.html?fbclid=IwAR3l0eBYh3WCcbaRI9Vcr9Z2-aYI1Cg-YH_snx-nBd_4R8gNHJ6gL6NsAKc


lalasticlala

Must they go to mosque? Why can't they pray in their hearts while writing exams??

You idiotic MURIC can go and set up ur examination body and affiliate it to be accepted in Islamic universities. This is how to identify a terrorist organization cos they seem to want to plant religious extremism in the minds of young ones who are innocently just focused on their exams. When it's 1pm any child of a MURIC parent who has lost ideas on what to write should submit his/her script and head to a mosque to complete section B which is Islamic prayers. When the result is out, you'll know if who you prayed to completed the empty script you submitted with answers on your behalf... WAEC is too big for this fools to redicule, afterall the traditionalists children also have their prayer ritual time and they haven't complained. This MURIC man is a chronic fool and a daft Prof.

How long shall we continue this back and forth? Let the superior position of the law handle this once and for all.

MelesZenawi:
Hmmmmmm


Muslim Yorubas at it again......This is a time bomb waiting to explode any moment..

These guys needs a niche infact a separate country of their own because soon if care is not taken they will strike...

Bigotry is bane, so he doesn't have freedom of religion because he is Yoruba?

That time table they are reacting to is fake,
waec has not released her time table yet

MelesZenawi:
Hmmmmmm


Muslim Yorubas at it again......This is a time bomb waiting to explode any moment..

These guys needs a niche infact a separate country of their own because soon if care is not taken they will strike...



The Muslim Yorubas have finally taken over fully from north...


Everybody should be on alert on this impending attack..

Muslim is Muslim because the God we are worshiping is only one. Are you saying he should not express his feeling again or Muslim children should not pray on Friday again because of waec that can change it time table anytime. If it were to be waec fixing subject on Sunday morning,am sure CAN will instantly say, Buari is trying to islamize Nigeria.

Yoruba Muslims should please do like their brothers up north in west

Cc thatfairguy1 and sammy07

Nwanyiogwashi:
Yoruba Muslims should please do like their brothers up north in west

Cc thatfairguy1 and sammy07

Those guys are something else..


You can't be safe around them..

[s]

MelesZenawi:
Hmmmmmm


Muslim Yorubas at it again......This is a time bomb waiting to explode any moment..

These guys needs a niche infact a separate country of their own because soon if care is not taken they will strike...



The Muslim Yorubas have finally taken over fully from north...


Everybody should be on alert on this impending attack..

[/s]
Feel free to say anything

MelesZenawi:



Those guys are something else..


You can't be safe around them..

Because jihad can be declared over night AS YOU ALWAYS SAY. We've heard you. Thanks

This muric proff na real mumu o. All Muslims can pray between 1 -2pm na

MelesZenawi:



Those guys are something else..


You can't be safe around them..

As long as their madness start and end in west I support them

BH propaganda arm

ThatFairGuy1:

Because jihad can be declared over night AS YOU ALWAYS SAY. We've heard you. Thanks

Serious danger is looming. Everyone needs to be on alert

Crew of slowpokes.

Mrshape:
That time table is fake one waec has not released her time table yet

And they are already reacting like an acid mixed with a base BUT they couldn't condemn the attack against Governor Zulum the other day.

This man loves to bloats from the mouth


Wetin konsin exams and religion??

Mumu and MURIC are like identical twins; you can never separate them. Walahi!

ThatFairGuy1:
[s][/s]
Feel free to say anything

Imagine this crap. As if 2:00 pm in the day belongs only to headslammers and no other official business can be conducted at that time other than headslammer prayers.

Why hasn't this dog been barking on all the previous years when papers were written at the same time period?

Is it now when the time table has been spread out because of social distancing that he wants to start manifestation of his stupidity abi?

This man is a professional at being a fool. Probably the reason why he is a professor of islamic studies.

This bastard muric, always on the news for stupid reasons

MURIC is concerned about the TIME and not DATE.

Nwanyiogwashi:
Yoruba Muslims should please do like their brothers up north in west

Cc thatfai.rguy1 and samm.y07

Hope you know that your brothers too are in West.

is so simple, Muslim students can leave the Waec for prayers on Friday.
No need to worry, Allah will perform a miracle, each of them will get A1 in the said subjects.
Nonsense...

na wah oo