The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, in Nigeria has rejected an offer by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, to train about 10 million Al-Majiri children, in the North.
The scribe of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement, argued that though the children need help, the intention of a Christian “Gospeller” is dubious, stressing that, the idea raise more questions than answers.
According to report obtained from a national daily, the group described Kukah’s initiative as a move towards modern colonialism, and a potential time bomb.
He said: “We all agree that something must be done about the Al-Majiri children. We can welcome ideas from everyone, but the implementation must be in the hands of Muslims in the region.
Any other thing will make the intention questionable. “We cannot pretend to be so naïve as to entrust our Muslim children to the hands of a Christian Gospellers. As far as we are concerned, Kukah’s Al-Majiri dream is a Trojan horse.
“These children have Teachers, even if the system is unconventional. The parents entrusted them to the Teachers, and learning still takes place somehow.
“The devil we know is still better than the one we do not know, and we expect Rev. Kukah to know better. Can any Christian community allow an Islamic organization to take their children away just like that?
What is the fate of the children taken from Chibok to an Edo Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) centre in 2014?”
The MURIC in conclusion, warned Northern Muslims, particularly the Elders, never to allow it to happen.
It would be recalled that Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Catholic Diocese had expressed concerned over the growing number of Al-Majiri especially in the northern region of the country and pledged to train them in skill acquisition of their choice to take them out of the street.
