Muslim students speak on planned protest, Nancy Isime’s hijab movie

The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has warned that the planned national protest does not augur well for the country, judging from the recent history of demonstrations in the country.

The MSSN stated its position on the protest in a communiqué issued at the end of its four-day 37th National Higher Institutions Convention held at Murtala Muhammad College, Yola, Adamawa State.

The group also frowned at a new movie, “Three Working Days”, which has angered some Muslims over the use of hijab by some of its characters.

In the communique co-signed by its zonal chairperson, Muhammad Isa, and its secretary, Auwalu Yunusa, the MSSN said the planned protest cannot address the country’s challenges and pleaded with the government to do the needful to defuse the anger in Nigeria.

“The current trend of agitations for nationwide protest will not augur well for the country, especially because such protests were not usually violence-free in the past, on the one hand. On the other hand, the government should do what is necessary to ease the avoidable hardship that Nigerians have been plunged into through insensitive and poorly thought out policies,” the group said in its resolutions.

On the controversial movie produced by Nancy Isime, the group urged for calm while calling on the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do the needful.

“Muslim students unequivocally condemn the projection of Islam as evil through a movie in circulation in which armed robbers were portrayed putting on the Muslim dress of hijab and niqab (face veil).

“While we appeal to the already enraged Muslim students to continue to be calm as we await the actions to be taken by relevant authorities against the producers of the movie, we demand a decisive action that is punitive, compensatory, and deterrent enough and in time,” it said.

The group also urged the federal government to revisit its decision to sign the Samoa Agreement and ensure that the cultures and religions of Nigerians are respected before engaging in any such agreements.

The group also condemned attempts to connect failure in governance with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling APC in the last presidential election, saying the propagation of justice and good governance are cardinal principles of Islam.

On the Gazza massacre, the group also condemned the “silence of the international community and the Western media’s double standards on the continuous massacre of innocent and defenceless people in Gaza while claiming to uphold international law against inhumanity in Ukraine.”

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The MSSN also resolved to do more in terms of the intellectual development of its members through continuous training and enhance its financial sustainability through investments in viable ventures.

It urged members to emulate the sacrifices of past group leaders in the last 70 years for the development of the society at all levels.

The annual programmes of the MSSN A-Zone (19 northern states and the FCT) are designed to build the capacity of Muslim students in tertiary institutions.

The programme was attended by participants and officials from tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and FCT.

The formal closing ceremony, which took place in the Assembly Hall of General Murtala Muhammad College Yola, was graced by dignitaries such as Salihi Atiku, the Special Assistant to Governor of Adamawa State on Universal Basic Education; Jibrilla Jimeta, the Chairman of Yola North Local Government Council; Usman Dada, the Amir of the Centre for Islamic Thought, Yola; Shehu Abubakar, the National President of the MSSN; Muhammad Isa, the A-Zone Chairman of the MSSN and many other past and present leaders of the MSSN at various levels.