By Mohammed Adamu
Do I believe that any public -or even private university- will be justified to deny its religious minority a place of worship? Absolutely no! But is it possible that there may be universities in Nigeria, (public or private) that deny their religious minorities the right of place of worship? It is absolutely not impossible!
And who knows, maybe Kukah is right, that BUK in Kano and UDUS in Sokoto (where he lives), are guilty as charged. And maybe UNI-JOS too, as he fleetingly -if not dismissively- alluded. Meaning that although he pretended to admit that both religions may be guilty of the same thing, he had still singled out one for demonization; atypically Kukah -never missing an opportunity to de-campaign Islam and Muslims as a whole
But assuming -without conceding- that Kukah's allegations about BUK and UDUS are true, and that Uni-Jos is even innocent; the consolation will still be that what UDUS and BUK deny others may only be right of place of worship. Not the right of who to worship. UDUS and BUK do not, like some that we all know, deny their religious minorities right of worship or impose on them forms of worship that are anti-thetical to their own. You would rather be denied a place of worship, won't you, than be forced into a place of worship that's not yours!
What are you trying to say Mohammed Adamu? Yes, I am trying to say that the difference between the divisive Kukahs of this country and the rest of us 'discriminative' (let's agree) Muslims of the North, is our long-suffering patience and their bigotedly scaremongering impatience.
But we know that Kukah himself knows very well that there are universities in this country, one of which is Catholic-owned, where Muslim students are literally 'forced' to worship Gods that they do not believe in. Veritas University, in Bwari, Abuja is one of them. Ever since it was established decades ago, the minority Muslims there are being forced daily to be 'ACTIVE' members of chapels (mini churches) as part of their continuous assessment exercises.
Meaning that these Muslim students would not only be nominal, passive members of the chapel, but they must pray, sing, dance and praise while in attendance. Yet in their typical long-suffering patience, you probably never heard any Muslim-victim of this kind of religious persecution, as much as ever come even online to complain.
And this has been going on for years! And I am a living witness to this, not a heresay hearer. I did once personally take my daughter and my sister in-law to Veritas University some four years ago and I was given this chapel membership thing as a pre-condition by a junior registrar/admission officer who told me that he was from Kaduna!
My close personal friend and colleague, Francis Nwosu, who I told this personal experience, thought that he was assisting a bosom friend when he spoke to a female Registrar of Bingham University that he knew and sent me her telephone number to conclude.
After only about two minutes on phone with her, I reverted to tell Francis that Bingham was even worse. The Registrar had plainly told me that in addition to being 'ACTIVE' members of a chapel, students at Bingham are required also to 'ACTIVELY' participate in a once-in-a-week MASS, at a general assembly.
Meaning here, that they are not only required to sing and dance, worship and pray at chapels to make up their continuous assessment, they must do so also at a congregation of the 'whole', where -who knows- they may probably be made to take holy communion!
I shudder to imagine that there is a university anywhere in Nigeria, publicly or privately owned; by a Muslim or even by an established mosque, where Christian students are required, for the fulfillment of their continuous assessment, to be 'ACTIVE' members say, of their hostel mosques, performing ablution and praying the five daily prayers!
When I say that I honestly shudder to imagine this, I really mean that I honestly shudder to imagine this! Or can you imagine how long such a despicable 'academic' requirement would last before it is luridly exposed by the Kukahs of this country as the ultimate Islamization agenda!
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