Postpone Army training till after Ramadan, says MURIC
Thenigerian Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern ( MURIC), has appealed for a postponement of army training for new recruits, which will commence on Monday, April 12, 2021 due to the Ramadan fast season, which may begin the next day, Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
MURIC hinged its plea on the need for new Muslim recruits to focus on the training mentally and spiritually with enough energy to face the rigours of the exercise.
The Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, in a statement said: “The Nigerian Army is billed to commence the training of new recruits in two weeks, around the 12th of
April, 2021. Coincidentally, Muslims around the world may start their annual fasting in the month of Ramadan the next day ( 13th April, 2021. “Fasting in the month of
Ramadan is mandatory upon adult Muslims as prescribed in the Glorious Qur’an, ‘ Oh you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain piety’ ( Qur’an 2: 183). Fasting in this month is also one of the five pillars of Islam, none of which a Muslim can ignore.
“For this reason, Muslims take the exercise very seriously and they will not wish to miss it for any reason except illness, pregnancy or when on a long journey. In fact, some countries reduce both school and working hours for their students and workers during this period. This is because those who are fasting can neither eat nor drink from dawn till dusk, thereby making them to become easily tired, particularly from noon till sunset.
“Meanwhile, military training is an energy- sapping exercise for which a person who is fasting may be unfit. He is prone to dehydration. He may not be able to concentrate fully, may get tired easily and may actually come to harm due to the rigours of the training. Although total fitness and full readiness for combat is the aim of military training, the Nigerian Army may not be able to get the best out of Muslim recruits who are fasting. Therefore, the purpose may be defeated. Worse still, casualties may be recorded during the training.
“In order to register a hitchfree and successful training exercise, therefore, we appeal to the Nigerian Army to postpone the exercise billed to begin on Monday, 12th April, 2021 till the middle of May when Ramadan would have ended.
“Our appeal should not be misconstrued as sheer sentiment. Neither are we unaware of the security challenges facing our dear nation which necessitates the recruitment of more men into the armed forces. But just as man is body, soul and spirit, so is a nation. The war against insurgency, the fight against kidnappers, bandits and all other criminals cannot be won on the battle field alone.
“We need spiritual warfare to weaken the insurgents and cause confusion within their rank and file. We need prayers to expose kidnappers. We need Allah’s divine intervention to soften the hearts of bandits and transform them into useful citizens. Ramadan season is the ideal period to seek divine intervention in Nigeria’s security challenges as well as other problems. It is a well- known fact that Muslims engage in deep spiritual exercises during Ramadan than at any other time of the year. The Nigerian Army should leverage on this.
“With prayers, Allah can give victory to Nigerian troops even where the insurgents outnumber them. The army of Prophet Daud ( peace be upon him) routed that of Jalut ( Goliath) even though the former was outnumbered ( Qur’an 2: 249).”