PHOTO: Leaders of the local Muslim group addressing a news conference in Monrovia
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
As people of the Islamic faith begins their annual holy month of Ramadan, a group calling itself the Movement for Islamic Holidays in Liberia has threatened to complain the CDC government to the Muslim world for allegedly violating the rights of Muslims in the country.
The movement’s Chairman, Ayoubah Swaray, said the refusal of the legislature to legislate bills making the end of Ramadan and the Abraham Day as national holidays for Muslims in Liberia needs the intervention of the Muslim world.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia, Mr. Swaray disclosed that the compliant will be preceded by a peaceful sit-in action in the capitals of the 15 political sub divisions and legal action at the Supreme Court of Liberia
According to him, these actions were necessary because all efforts aimed at peacefully legislating these holidays for the Muslims who comprised about 12.5 percent of the country population, have failed.
“It is sadden that our dear country as a secular state with 12.5 percent Muslims,” he went on, “ Islamic holidays are considered as abomination, which should not be so at all.”
“We should join hands in stopping this uncalled for act of extremism against Muslims,” Mr. Swaray added.
The movement called on President George Weah to make a proclamation, which should be followed by legislation through the legislature.
The movement expressed appreciation for the many distribution of rice and other kind gestures that have been done during the past Ramadan by the Liberian government, individual politicians and other good will humanitarians .
“We will be more appreciative in the government, those individual politicians and people of goodwill go beyond just the distribution of rice and stand for the rights of over 100,000 Muslim students who are usually denied prayer rights and time with their families due to examinations and other academic works and the hundreds and thousands of Muslim workers who are in the private sectors.”
The movement comprises the National Muslim Students Association and the University of Liberia Muslims Students Association.