NIGERIA: MUSLIM RIGHTS ACTIVIST SEEKS DIALOGUE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000513

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA
STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MUSLIM RIGHTS ACTIVIST SEEKS DIALOGUE,
NOT VIOLENCE

Classified By: Acting Consul General Helen C. Hudson, Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary. On December 18, Pol-Econ Chief and PolOff
met with Assistant Professor Is-haq Akintola, Director of
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC); MURIC has resolved numerous
misunderstandings between Christians and Muslims that without
intervention might have spiraled out of control. MURIC, which
has branches in every state, was unable to be helpful in Jos;
by the time Professor Akintola heard about the problems, the
MURIC state coordinator had already been forced into hiding.
Unable to register as an NGO because of the 250,000 Naira
(USD 1,900) "fee" not stipulated in the registration law,
MURIC is associated with Human Rights Network, sponsored by
the British Consul. End Summary.


2. (C) Assistant Professor Is-haq Akintola, a professor of
Islamic Studies at Lagos State University, told PolOffs at a
meeting in Lagos on December 18 that his organization, MURIC,
has been working since 1993 to reduce religious tension in
Nigeria. According to Akintola education is the key to
breaking down prejudices and enabling dialogue.


3. (C) MURIC is organized geographically, with a chapter in
each state of the Nigerian Federation. Meetings are held at
the local level on the 4th Sunday of every month. At these
meetings, members discuss the state of religious tensions in
their area and decide what actions to take in specific cases
which have come to their attention. They seek to defuse
tension before it can escalate into violence. He noted that
when interfaith violence erupted in Jos last month, it was
too late for his organization to take action; the leading
members of MURIC in Jos had to go into hiding.


4. (C) When involved early in a dispute, however, his
organization has been able to eliminate problems by working
behind the scenes to resolve problems before they escalated.
For example, in August the hotel and catering department of
the Yaba College tried to prevent Muslim women students
wearing the hijab from going to lectures and sitting for
exams. The students threatened a protest, which could easily
have ended in violence. Instead, MURIC interceded, contacted
the university provost who reversed the policy, about which
he was not aware and the problem was resolved within 24
hours. In another example, MURIC intervened when the matron
at a Christian-affiliated hospital refused care to a woman in
purdah, saying that she "would not attend to a masquerade."
MURIC wrote the hospital administrator, who apologized. In a
third case, in which a Muslim woman, who had been accepted by
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBA) for employment, went to the
CBA's medical unit for the routine pre-employment examination
where she asked to be examined by the woman physician the CBA
had on staff. The unit refused, based on which the Muslim
woman was told she was unemployable. She called MURIC, which
resolved the case, and the woman was employed.


5. (C) MURIC has had difficulty registering as an NGO; the
registrar in Abuja requires a "fee" of 250,000 Naira (USD
1,900) not stipulated in the law, As a result, the group has
registered with Human Rights Network (Hurinet),sponsored by
the British Consul, which gives them legitimacy and a network
within which to function.


6. (C) Comment: Akintola has been lecturing in Islamic
Affairs for twenty-two years and his organization appears to
be both well-organized, and successful in providing practical
help in resolving small scale disputes before they spiral out
of control. End Comment.


7. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja.
BLAIR