The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Friday, expressed its condolence with the Nigerian Christian community over the demise of Rev. Musa Asake, General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Asake died at on Friday at the age of 66 after a brief illness.
MURIC, whose condolence message was contained in a statement issued in Lagos by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, expressed its shock at the news of the CAN chief scribe’s demise, even as it commiserated with the CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunu, members of his executive, the entire body of Christ in Nigeria as well as “condole with the nuclear and extended families of the deceased.”
It will be recalled the hotness with which the late CAN scribe Asake tried against MURIC over the issue of hijab in Osun State where he and other leaders of his Association went all out in disrespect to the verdicts of the courts directing Christian students to disrupt school activities just to ensure that the Muslim students in Osun State public schools did not have their way.
But the Muslim rights organisation leader, Akintola, in a phone conversation with The DEFENDER declined from being concerned about those ugly events of the past as he said, “Once a person is dead, we don’t speak ills of him. We have the duty to show the world the beauties and truth about Islam. We are charitable and peace loving people who want to live with our neighbours in peace at all times. So, we have to forget about the ugly past and commiserate with the people affected by the demise of this great Christian leader.”
According to the statement, MURIC said, “We share the grief of his immediate friends and admirers. We are with his mourners in spirit at this trying period. Our hearts are heavy with sadness. In particular, our hearts go to his widow, Mrs. Asake, the biological and spiritual children he left behind, his brothers and sisters. We pray that Almighty Allah will give them all the strength to bear this great loss.
“We invite Christian youths to emulate Rev. Musa Asake. He was a great man. He was passionate about discipline and hardwork. He worked tirelessly for a better and more secure Nigeria. He was deeply committed to what he believed in and he left behind a legacy of activism, industry and patriotism. His sudden demise has left a yawning gap which will be difficult to fill.
“We remind Nigerians that death is a necessary end and nobody knows when it will be his or her turn. But what matters is what we leave behind. Let us therefore seek a better and more secure life for our country, our children and generations yet unborn.
“As we round up, we charge religious leaders to learn from the lessons which the late Rev. Musa Asake left behind. These include forging love between Christians, Muslims and traditionalists in Nigeria. Our children must not grow up to hate one another. Our children must not grow into a world of rancor and animosity. Despite our differences, Musa Asake was an epitome of love, goodwill, humility, forgiveness and tolerance. We disagreed on matters of faith but we always agreed on issues affecting our dear country, Nigeria and humanity.”
