Shiite protests: MURIC calls for dialogue

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for a robust dialogue to resolve the violent Shiite protests in Abuja which two days ago claimed a senior police officer and a corps member among others.

The MURIC Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said on Thursday in a statement that the incident is disheartening.

“It is most disheartening that people are dying during Shiite protests. We condemn all forms of violence. True to our avowed motto: ‘Dialogue, No Violence’, MURIC as a dialogue-loving human rights organization will never condone or subscribe to violence. We detest the shedding of blood. Life is sacred and nobody has the right to deprive a fellow homo sapien of his Allah-given fundamental right to live.”

“We therefore appeal to the supporters of Sheikh El-Zakzaky to review their strategy. The El-Zakzaky affair is getting complicated. Video clips have emerged showing members of the group attacking police vans during demonstrations while the police vehicles were seen maneuvering their ways to escape. The death of the senior police officer during the last protest cannot be wished away. Policemen are also human beings. Shiites claim that they did not use any weapon but did the officer commit suicide?” Akintola said.

According to him, non-Shiite Muslims who reside close to Shiite headquarters in Zaria have given damning evidence of the intimidation of neighbours by the Shiites in the days and years before the army’s attack.

He said, “Those harassed included Christians and non-Shiite Muslims. This is quite worrisome. This discovery has made it difficult for those who are intervening in the Shiite imbroglio to absolve the group of any wrongdoing. Shiites should not be deceived by the hypocritical declarations of solidarity from certain quarters. Most of such statements are made by people who are keen on exploiting the sectarian lacuna between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.”