-By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim
Dear Prof. Kabir Bala,
I am writing this to you as a Muslim. It was brought to my notice last week that some ABU students in one department were denied their rights to offer Zuhr and Asr prayers at their prescribed time for no reason.
Therefore, I wish to bring to your notice the issue of Islamophobia and violation of muslims human rights. It is sad that this is happening in the ABU that we know which host state is a muslim state.
Apart from that, the institution have a muslim VC, the department also have a muslim HoD. I am humbly calling on the VC to quickly direct the correction of the anti-muslim timetable in that particular department and every other one not brought to my notice. I am sure there are.
I will like to remind you that a muslim is a muslim wherever he is. Be it at home or at school. A muslim can’t be without prayer. I know you know. But I will still re-emphasize on the importance of prayer in Islam. It is the second pillar of Islam. One of our major differences with unbelievers is offering Salah. This is why muslims can’t play with it.
The copy of the timetable made available to me stated that right from 1-2, 2-4, and 4-6, students were expected to be in class and receive lectures. This is a total denial of human rights (right to pray falling under religious right) which I can refer to as an attempt to christianize the institution.
Prof. Abdulkarim takes over as VC, FUD, promises inclusive administration
To back up my point is that those who went out to pray Asr prayer on that very Thursday after 2-4 were denied access to the next venue for 4-6 lecture. In addition, the lecturer pledged to give a test the following week and those absent will not write the test. The targets are those outside. Those who went out to pray. This was what worried me more.
Not only this, on Wednesday, two lecturers fixed classes. One, was 12-2 and the other 2-4. thereby preventing muslims from offering their congregational Zuhr and Asr prayers in time. The same with Thursday’s lecturer. He refused to allow those who went to pray in. Including the class Amir. Despite explaining to him why they were out was to pray.
On Friday, the same class still had lectures till around 1:30. The class that was expected to end at 1pm. Jumu’at prayer holds 1:45 on campus. And the distance from the class to the central mosque will take about that 15 minutes or more. This is without ablution time.
This was happening to everyday prayers mostly Zuhr and Asr, last week it happened on Jumu’at time. Inna lilLahi wa inna ilaiHi raji’un. The complaints stated that students started living one by one when it was 1:25-1:26 to attend Jumu’at mosque since the class is anti-muslim.
It is very sad that this happened in three consecutive days. It is high time that muslim leaders stand up and fight for the rights of muslim students. No to the christianization of ABU.
If Sundays are made lecture free days or even weekends because of the few christians, why should muslims prayer time be denied? It is not just, fair and right. They are the minority. Why should they control the majority? I see no reason that there will not be clearly and well stated prayer times in all departmental time tables.
For one to say that it is difficult to change a timetable, I think it is a lie. When lecturers fix a class that is not in the entire time table severally, what happens? Is that too difficult? I know that if lectures are fixed on Sundays, christians will not attend and they and their bodies like CAN will be complaining until the department bows to pressure and change it.
My advice here is, it is either any lecturer whose period coincides with prayer times fixes another time or give out good and enough time for prayers. At least 30 minutes since the semester has started. But when next time table is being drafted, there should be provision for prayer times.
Between prayer that will take one less than 30 minutes to offer including ablution and lectures that will consume up to 2 hours, which one is less time consuming? Which one should wait for the other?
As a leader, it is your duty to make sure the rights of muslims are not taken away from them. It is a matter of time. I hope you will make good use of your office(s) to make immediate and quick investigation into this and order the provision of prayer times/break.
Thank you.
Cc: DVCs
Dean of Faculties
HODs
MSSN_ABU
