The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Federal Government to declare Friday a work-free day for Muslims, arguing that the current system favours Christians while suppressing Islamic practices.
Speaking on Frontline, a Current Affairs programme, MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said Friday is a complete spiritual day in Islam that should be devoted to prayers, meditation, and remembrance of Allah.
“Islam has not been allowed free practice because Muslims are supposed to start their spiritual activities very early in the morning. It is not only when they go to the Jum’ah service that worship begins or ends,” he said.
Akintola lamented that returning to offices and shops after prayers robs Muslims of their religious rights. He criticized Muslim leaders in public service who have failed to advocate for Friday as a spiritual holiday, accusing them of being “half-baked” in their understanding of Islam.
Comparing both faiths, he noted that Christians in Nigeria worship freely with their families on Sundays, while Muslims are denied the same privilege on Fridays.
He argued that many Arab countries already observe Fridays as part of the weekend, and recalled that former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, introduced Saturday as a full holiday in 1967 allegedly under the influence of his Seventh-Day Adventist wife.
“If the Adventist community of about 700,000 could secure a free Saturday, then Muslims, who make up the majority of Nigeria’s 250 million population, should be given Friday,” he said.
Akintola suggested a three-day weekend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday proposing longer working hours during weekdays to make up for the lost time. “It is a win-win for all,” he insisted.
The MURIC leader also linked the denial of Friday holidays to the rise of extremism, saying: “Those you deny free Friday lose proper understanding of their religion; they are the ones into religious extremism, who are killing blasphemers.”
On the recent killing of a woman accused of blasphemy in Niger State, he condemned mob action as contrary to Islamic teachings. Quoting the Quran, he said only lawful authorities have the right to take life. “Going mob style is alien to Islam,” he stressed.
Akintola further alleged discrimination in religious education, pointing to cases where Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) teachers are employed in the North, while Muslims in the South-East are denied Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) opportunities.
He urged government to convene a national conference of religious leaders to promote peaceful coexistence. “Give all religions freedom to practice and there will be no fanaticism or extremism,” he added.
