Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, an Islamic human rights organization has lambasted the management of Polaris Bank Limited for banning Muslim staff from attending Friday prayer.
The organization also asked the financial institution to apologize to all its Muslim customers or risk mass boycott.
The bank had last week sparked controversy when it warned its Muslim staff against leaving their duty to attend Friday prayer.
However, the decision was greeted with condemnation by Muslims in the country, threatening to withdraw their money and close the accounts.
In a statement by the Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Friday, the organization described the decision of the bank as unethical, unprofessional and intolerant.
According to Akintola, it is illegal, illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional for any employer or his agents to impose measures, take actions or introduce policies capable of undermining “Allah-given” fundamental human rights of any citizen of Nigeria no matter his or her faith or ethnicity.
MURIC noted that the email directive by one Damilola Adebara, said to be a supervisor in the bank, warning Muslims against attending Friday prayer, “is a flagrant contravention of Section 38 (I)& II) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which says, ‘Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
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“The leaked mail was greeted with outrage, bewilderment and nausea among Nigerian Muslims. Unfortunately the bank’s response to the concern of Muslims was not good enough. It was mild, vague, escapist and deceitful. Polaris Bank had said, ‘The said staff had acted in ignorance and we have since addressed the issue internally’.
“This is a very poor response. It lacked human face, human sympathy, colour and concern. It did not show that the bank has control over its erring staff. The bank responded as if Damilola Adebara is a sacred cow and an untouchable demigod.
“The bank had already found an excuse for a woman who made millions of Nigerian Muslims lose appetite overnight and sent them to the abyss of psychological trauma through her uncouth behaviour, intolerance and exhibition of tramadolised religiousity.
“We wonder why the bank is now the one telling us that the ‘said staff had acted in ignorance’. What ‘ignorance’? Is Polaris Bank aware that it has indicted itself by blaming it all on ‘ignorance’? Who should take the blame if your employee is an ignoramus? Did you train her at all? What happened to post-employment training and retraining?,” the statement reads in parts.
“What exactly did the bank management do apart from finding excuse for her? What disciplinary measure has the bank taken? Or is it over just like that? MURIC asked rhetorically.
“This is how matters are swept under the carpet in Nigeria. What of the Muslim staff barred from attending Jumu‘ah mosque last week by ‘Her Majesty’, Damilola Adebara, the ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’, the one whose word is law in Polaris Bank?
“How does she and the bank assuage the unprovoked assault on their spiritual wellbeing? How does the bank mitigate the fear of Nigerian Muslims that they and their brethren cannot expect fair play, justice and equity in the hands of Polaris Bank?
“First and foremost, we demand apology from Polaris Bank. Nigerian Muslims deserve that courtesy, that respect. That apology should be tendered within seven days from today, Friday, 14th October, 2022 failing which Muslim customers may start boycotting the bank. Nigerian Muslims deserve dignified treatment as homo sapiens compos mentis.
Secondly, the first offender, Damilola Adebara, must go on a few days’ suspension.
“There must be consequences for unprofessional behaviour. On her return from suspension, she must withdraw the memo sent to all Muslim staff. She must also send copies of the withdrawal mail to her Christian staff and Polaris Bank management exactly as she copied them the offensive email ab initio.
“Polaris Bank should not try to test our will. Whoever thinks Nigerian Muslims cannot mobilise themselves for unified action nationwide is living in delusion. This is the age of resistance against all forms of religious apartheid targeted at Nigerian Muslims. Without firing a single shot, we are determined to teach our traducers lessons in religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence using peaceful and civil liberty gimmicks,” the Director emphasized.
