The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted growing criticisms against Yoruba Muslim monarchs who choose to live and be buried according to Islamic rites, describing such attacks as an infringement on their constitutional rights.
In a statement on Monday, the Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said it was wrong and discriminatory for anyone to condemn Muslim traditional rulers for preferring Islamic practices in their private lives, including worship, death, and burial ceremonies.
Akintola noted that some Yoruba traditional worshippers and critics had lately accused Muslim monarchs of abandoning cultural practices, insisting that kings must embrace traditional rituals because of their royal status.
But the Islamic scholar rejected such arguments, stressing that religious freedom remains a fundamental right protected under Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He said, “We assert the right of Muslim traditional rulers to follow their chosen faith. A Muslim king is, in most cases, already a Muslim before ascending the throne, and nothing about his kingship changes his faith, anatomy, or lineage.”
The MURIC director explained that being a Muslim does not prevent a king from performing his traditional duties to all subjects—Muslims, Christians, and traditionalists alike.
“He is expected to be fair to all regardless of religious affiliation. Delegation of duties is acceptable, but his presence and leadership must be felt by everyone,” Akintola added.
He, however, condemned what he described as “religious coercion” and “intimidation” targeted at Muslim monarchs in the South-West, saying it was unacceptable to force them to participate in traditional rites against their faith.
“It amounts to crossing the red line to insist that a Muslim king must live as a traditional worshipper or be buried as one. Yoruba traditionalists have failed to show tolerance in matters of religion,” Akintola stated.
According to him, some traditional shrines have been guilty of compelling children of deceased monarchs and traditionalists to undergo forced conversion to traditional religion, a development he described as “unconstitutional and barbaric.”
“This practice must stop. It contradicts the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” he maintained.
Akintola urged all Yoruba stakeholders to respect the religious choices of traditional rulers, warning that continued harassment or attempts to enforce traditional rites on Muslim monarchs could trigger unnecessary religious tension in the region.
“Any king who wishes to follow traditional worshippers is free to do so. Likewise, Muslim kings who choose to live and die as Muslims should be left alone,” he said.
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