The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, B-Zone headquarters, the umbrella body for all Muslims Students in the 17 States in Southern Nigeria is using this medium to express its full support and encouragement to Prof. Ishaq Akintola and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) in their defence of the rights of Muslims in Yorubaland and all over Nigeria.
The Society condemns in totality the inciting and life threatening publication of Alaroyé (a Yoruba weekly newspaper) few weeks ago where the newspaper and it’s editor published blatant lies and inciting articles portraying Prof. Ishaq Akintola as promoting Hausa-Fulani domination of Yoruba land. \
This is not only a blatant lie from the pit of hell but it’s also incitement of the Yoruba public against the erudite Professor. We are stating it unequivocally that Alaroye does not speak for the Yoruba Muslims. It is a tabloid that is being used by the enemy of Islam and Muslims in Yoruba land to cause chaos, public incitement and division among the Muslims in Yoruba land and Nigeria.
As a serious stakeholder in the Nigeria project and a society with the largest number of Youths as members in Yoruba land, MSSN will not tolerate any act of aggression, incitement, blackmail and character assassination on any Muslim by a tribal jingoistic platform like Alaroyé especially a public commentator like Prof. Ishaq Akintola who has been in the field of Islamic propagation and defending the human rights of Muslims and Non-muslims in Nigeria for over 40 years.
It should also be noted that to us as Muslims in Yoruba land, there is no dichotomy between Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani and Igbo Muslims. We are all ONE BODY of Islamic Brotherhood. Alaroye should not seek to use it’s selfish and tribalistic platform to divide us.
We ask, if Alaroyé is truly fighting for Yoruba tribe as it claims, when has it used its platform to speak against all the atrocities and humiliation of Yoruba Muslim Students using Hijab in many secondary schools in Yoruba land? Has it used its platform to fight the marginalisation of Muslims in Ondo and Ekiti in socio-political equation in those states despite Muslims having 40% population in those States? Indeed, Alaroyé magazine is not only subjective in its activities against Islam and Muslims in Yoruba land but it is also a platform that is hellbent in persecuting a fearless Muslim cleric like Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
We are giving Alaroyé Newspaper 14 days ultimatum to issue an unreserved public apology in the front Page of the newspaper to Prof. Akintola. Failure to do so, the society will not hesitate to use the instrumentality of the law to defend the public incitement against the professor and seek commensurate damages in like sum.
We also call on Alaroye to henceforth desist from using it’s platform to malign, incite the public and assassinate the character of any Islamic cleric in Nigeria including Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
Finally, we are calling the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police to take decisive action on this public incitement by Alaroye Newspaper on the life of Prof. Ishaq Akintola. If anything (God forbids) happens to Prof. Akintola as a result of the inciting publication at any time, Alaroye Newspaper editor and management should be held responsible.
We call on all Muslim organisations, Imams, scholars and intellectuals in Yoruba land and Nigeria to rise up and defend Prof. Ishaq Akintola who has been a strong voice defending the rights of Muslims in Nigeria against oppression and intimidation using MURIC and the Nigerian constitution. We shouldn’t allow this attack on his personality by Alaroye to go unchallenged. Allah says ” Inna hadhihi ummatukun ummatan waahidan, wa anna rabbukun fa’abudun…”
Qaasim Odedeji
Amir/Coordinator
Abdul Jalil Abdur Razaq
Secretary
Moshood Tahir
Public Relations Officer