A Muslim rights group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has urged the Federal Government to consider declaring the first day of the Islamic calendar, 1st Muharram, as a public holiday in the country, like January 1, the first day of the Gregorian calendar.
The group made this known in a statement through its Executive Director, Ishaq Akintola.
MURIC said that the 1st Muharram, if declared, would help bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims in the country.
The group said it was not agitating for any Christian holiday to be scrapped but for the Islamic holiday to be declared in order to give Muslims a sense of belonging.
MURIC urged the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior to “interact with the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) for the exact date of 1st Muharram this year and declare it as a holiday”.
