How FRSC ‘deliberately excluded’ Muslim women from recruitment exercise – MURIC

The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has alleged that the Federal Road
Safety Corps, FRSC, deliberately excluded Muslim women in the ongoing
nationwide recruitment exercise of the corps.

The rights group claimed that by requesting applicants to appear in
white shorts, white round neck T-shirts, canvass and socks, the FRSC
deliberately did not want women of the Muslim faith to take part in
the exercise.

MURIC, in a statement signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola
and made available to DAILY POST on Thursday morning, described the
requirement as a deliberate religious marginalization, economic
deprivation and undisguised discrimination against Muslim women.

The Islamic rights organization wondered why FRSC would issue a
directive which was allegedly designed to exclude a section of
Nigerian citizens.

The statement continued, "The whole world knows that Muslim women do
not wear shorts. It is therefore strange to hear the FRSC requesting
applicants of both sexes to appear in shorts. FRSC is a federal road
safety concern and its recruitment exercise should be inclusive

"Or is FRSC telling us that it only recognizes Christian women alone?
Is FRSC telling us that it cannot tolerate the sight of Muslim women?
Is this federal agency only interested in giving jobs to Christian
women to the disadvantage of their Muslim counterparts?

"Is FRSC unaware of the economic implication of this among the
Nigerian Muslim population? Is this not a deliberate attempt to
empower Christians and continuously impoverish Muslims?

"We believe it is a deliberate attempt to exclude Muslims. We are
disappointed that FRSC has joined the clique of anti-Muslim
institutions that claim secularism in order to shortchange Muslims.
Muslims are being shut out of the economy of this country. Muslims are
being dragged to the bottom of the pyramid of poverty in Nigeria.
Instructions which make it impossible for Muslims to participate in
nation-building are being rolled out on a daily basis in public and
private sectors.

"We remind FRSC that the marginalization of any section of the
Nigerian population by any agency is a violation of Section 14(4) of
the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which
stipulates that "The composition of the Government of the Federation,
a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such
Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the
Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such
manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of
authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty
among all the people of the Federation"

"MURIC therefore rejects the FRSC recruitment exercise for failing to
recognize the diversity of our population. It is illegal, unlawful and
unconstitutional to issue directives which are designed to exclude any
section of the country. The exercise can best be described as
incomplete, sectional and discriminatory.

"To complete the exercise, FRSC authorities must give Muslim women
their own opportunity to participate. A new date must be fixed for the
recruitment of Muslim women in the next few weeks. Nigeria belongs to
us all. MURIC will not fold its hands while our common patrimony is
shared out among Christians alone.

"We advise FRSC and all uniformed formations to take note of this
observation in order to correct the anomaly in future exercises.
Marginalisation is the oil which lubricates the engines of bitterness,
animosity and rancour in any heterougeneous community like Nigeria.
Part of the problems facing Nigeria today is the failure of public
institutions and agencies to accept and fully integrate Muslims into
the system. Most institutions assume that the anti-Muslim system
bequeathed by the colonial master is the ideal thing. They never
bother to look around to know if it is all-inclusive".

In a message for Muslim women, MURIC called on them to demand "your
Allah-given fundamental human rights and that includes the right to
employment, right to decent living and right to the dignity of your
human person. Nobody under the sun has the right to ask you to expose
your body. The Glorious Qur'an affirms that Allah Himself created
mankind with dignity. (Qur'an 17:70). Why then should you allow anyone
to deprive you of your Allah-endowed dignity?

"We urge the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria
(FOMWAN) to sensitise and mobilize Muslim women across the country for
the coming struggle which is aimed at emancipating Nigerian Muslim
women from the clutches of neo-imperialists. Freedom is never offered
on a platter of gold. It is no longer fashionable to be docile.

"The Qur'an asserts, 'Why should you not rise in the cause of Allah to
defend men, women and children who are oppressed due to their
weakness? The weak ones cry out, "Our Lord! rescue us from this city
(Nigeria?) whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from Thee one
who will protect us, and send to us a helper!" (Qur'an 4:75-76).

"If you dare to struggle, you will dare to win. Muslim women in
Nigeria must keep their eyes open. They must adopt 'discrimination
against one is discrimination against all' as a motto. The Nigerian
Muslim woman has become an endangered specie and this is the only way
she can be defended because the authorities never show any concern for
their freedom. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

The statement ended by calling for a special recruitment exercise for
Muslim women to be conducted by FRSC in the next few weeks, adding
that, "We advise the federal agency to consult FOMWAN on the
modalities."