MURIC To Plateau Govt: Don’t Desecrate Our Cemetery
The Plateau State Government has announced the impending closure of the Muslim cemetery on Zaria Road. But the Muslim community has opposed the move. Meanwhile, an Islamic human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has waded into the matter.
In a statement issued on Saturday, 30th November, 2024, MURIC described it as an attempt to desecrate the Muslim cemetery because graves must be left untouched in Islam. The statement was signed by the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
MURIC said: “The Plateau State Commissioner for Land, Survey, and Town Planning, Barrister Nyam Peter Gai, has inaugurated a committee whose assignment is to provide an alternative burial ground within the Bukur-Jos metropolis (https://dailytrust.com/jos-community-raises-alarm-over-planned-closure-of-cemetery/#google_vignette).
“MURIC frowns at this move. It is disrespectful to the dead. It is also motivated by hatred for Muslims. We note with serious concern that there is no single Muslim leader among members of the committee. How can Plateau State government exhume the corpses of Muslims and rebury them elsewhere without involving a single Muslim leader? We repeat, it is a hate-filled action.
“Our beloved parents, children, Islamic scholars and other deceased Muslims are resting in that cemetery. They are an integral part of our history. We will not be willing tools in the hands of those who intend to erase our chronicle.
“Every cemetery has a story behind it. It is the offsprings, friends and dear ones who leaf through the pages and drop additional lines as time goes on. A cemetery is a miniature memorabilia and any attempt to destroy it is not only a crime against humanity but also an assault on both terrestrial and celestial forces.
“This is a deliberate attempt at totally eliminating historiology among the Jos Muslim community. We are not surprised the vandalization of cemeteries is a common practice among governments led by apartheid infested haters. At least 16 cemeteries have been vandalized by Israeli invaders in Gaza (https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/20/middleeast/israel-gaza-cemeteries-desecrated-investigation-intl-cmd/index.html).
“During the Yugoslav Wars of the 90s, Serb and Croat militias destroyed Bosnian Muslim cemeteries. However, those behind the latest attempt to vandalise Jos Muslim cemetery should note that the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ruled that the destruction of religious and cultural sites, including cemeteries, can be considered a crime against humanity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_genocide).
“It is an insensitive mission. Plateau has another agenda different from what it has told the public. This attempt lacks inclusivity and suffers desertification of credibility. Barrister Nyam Peter Gai has inaugurated an anti-Muslim committee. We will not be party to the deliberate destruction of our past. You cannot bury our dead behind our back. Plateau has a luciferous agenda.”
