Nigeria’s last Tuesday’s abstention from voting for a Palestinian Statehood is cowardly, distasteful and contradicts the nation’s long held anti-apartheid stance, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has said.
MURIC Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said Thursday in a statement that Nigeria has no basis supporting Israel this time around, having been known for its principled stand on international issues including playing leading roles against the apartheid regime of South Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe and Angola until it collapsed has also been the promotion of fundamental human rights on the international scene.
The request to officially recognize Palestine as a state within the 1967 borders with full UN member benefits and state status throughout the international community was presented by Jordan on 30th December, 2014. Whereas Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan, Luxembourg, China, France and Russia (8 justice seeking countries) voted ‘Yes’ to a Palestinian state, only Australia and the United States voted ‘No’ while Nigeria joined Lithuania, South Korea, Rwanda and Britain in the abstention camp.
“The MURIC is astounded by this conservative shift in Nigeria’s foreign policy. It is on record that Nigeria has always been in the forefront of Africa’s struggle for freedom, justice and equal rights. The latest support for Zionist Israel which is notorious for killing unarmed civilians, women and children is therefore most baffling, uncharacteristically cowardly, highly reprehensible, long in impunity but short in principle.
“In retrospect, we are constrained to liken Nigeria’s decision to pitch tent with Israel to President Jonathan’s consistent disgust for Islamic norms and values, his unveiled desire to marginalize Muslims in the scheme of things and his unhidden mien for the debilitation of Muslims both locally and internationally,” Akintola said.
He listed the recent removal of Arabic Ajami from the newly introduced N100 note among others as symphonises the President’s lack of regard for Islamic norms and values.
He therefore urged Muslims in the leadership cadre of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to call the President to order, adding that Nigeria is a multi-religious country and that to ensure enduring peace, whoever assumes the mantle of power must be ready to treat both Christians and Muslims equally and fairly.
He also urged the international community to observe the trend in President Jonathan’s administration, particularly the way and manner he has sidelined Muslims and adopted far-reaching anti-Muslim policies.
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