By Gbenga Abulude
Islamic human rights organisation, Muslim Rights Concern, has rejected the examination timetable recently released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations scheduled to begin on August 11 , 2020.
The organisation based its rejection on the clash between WAEC’s timetable and the period of Friday Jumu’ah prayers. This was made known to newsmen in a press statement on Monday by the Director and Founder of the organization, Prof Ishaq Akintola.
The group said: “WAEC has again fixed some of its subjects for the period of the Muslim Friday Jumu‘ah prayer in its examination which begins on Tuesday, 11th August, 2020. These are papers that Muslim candidates are also expected to take. The implications are very serious.
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“WAEC is deliberately creating a wedge between young Muslims and the mosque. WAEC is making it impossible for Muslim youth to worship. The examination body is encroaching upon Allah-given fundamental rights of Muslim candidates to access freedom of religion as guaranteed by Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At best, the examination body is reducing the chances of good performance among Muslim candidates.
“A quick glance at the timetable recently released by WAEC shows that there are at least three clashes between examination periods and Muslim prayers on Fridays: Management-in-Living (2pm, Friday 14th August, 2020); Literature-in-English (2pm, Friday 21st August); Health Science (1.30pm, Friday, 4th September).
“This timetable is exclusive, sectional, parochial, insensitive and provocative. It is an invitation to anarchy. It is designed to cause pain to Muslim candidates. It is therefore the handiwork of sadists and anarchists. It smirks of an anti-Muslim machinery oiled by the passion for hate and injustice.
“This is in spite of efforts made by us to guard against this kind of clash. It will be recalled that MURIC issued a proactive press statement on Tuesday 23rd June, 2020 under the caption ‘Consider the Friday Question in Your Timetable: MURIC Tells WAEC’. This press release was expected to remind WAEC of the need to avoid the present controversy. But WAEC ignored it.
“The examination body cannot claim ignorance of this reminder because it was well published by the media.
“We are perturbed by WAEC’s recalcitrance. The fact that the examination body ignored the above advice shows that it deliberately targets Muslims for persecution. It inflicts unbearable psychological trauma on young Muslim candidates. It is unacceptable. This has to stop.
“There is also enough evidence that this is not the first time WAEC will fix examinations during the Muslim prayer period on Friday. MURIC’s struggle with WAEC over the Friday question is of great antiquity. Unfortunately WAEC does not appear ready to learn from history.
“We wonder why it should be so difficult for WAEC to leave out three hours only (from 12 noon to 3 pm) on Fridays in its examination timetable to allow Muslims to worship. Muslim candidates need three hours because the prayer usually starts around 1 pm. They need at least one hour to get to the mosque, one hour for the service inside the mosque and another one hour to return to the examination hall.
“MURIC calls the attention of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education to WAEC’s excesses. Muslim candidates should not be blamed if they refuse to write examination under duress. Any examination that infringes upon freedom of religion is ultra vires, unlawful, illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional.
Candidates for such examinations acting alone or in conjunction with their parents have every right to use every lawful means to stop the examination.
“WAEC is therefore invited to take notice of impending action by Muslim candidates unless it adjusts its timetable to accommodate Muslim Jumu‘ah service during the coming examinations. Muslim candidates must be given three hours every Friday. This is non-negotiable. Nigerian Muslims will liberate themselves from slavery, serfdom and religious apartheid if government is lackadaisical. The only thing MURIC opposes is violence.
“Our message to WAEC is very clear and simple: ‘We warned you early enough but you decided to dare Nigerian Muslims with your satanic timetable. We are returning it ‘back to sender’. Adjust your timetable and stop provoking Muslims forthwith. Let the Muslims go.”
