The
MPAC 'ENGAGE' Campaign aims to empower and encourage Muslims
to engage and participate in the political and civic process in the country.
At the global level, the Muslim community is faced with different challenges.
We have not done little or nothing to educate ourselves and propagate the
message of Islam, nor have we advanced our knowledge, our economies and applied
our faith to our lives and governance. The wealth of oil, a blessing from God,
is being squandered by the few for their selfish existence, power, and
pleasure. We are stagnant while the world around us is moving rapidly. We've
adopted the negatives of the Western culture but not its work ethic, knowledge,
economic competitiveness, administrative and organizational skills. Yet, on a
daily basis we bury our dead and seek relief from the very nations that attack
us rather than from ALLAH and our faith, our only real source of comfort and
assurance of victory.
At home, we face faith-related discrimination, stereotyping, oppression
and injustice. Discrimination in schools and at workplaces (and that's even if
you manage to be employed with a hijab or a beard!), denial of 10 minutes
required to say your salat (when nobody blinks if you spent 4 times the time in
the toilet or gossiping with your fellow workers).
Our nation needs more Muslim exemplars and visionary leaders to be in position of power and work in cooperation with people of other faiths to lead and contribute to national development, national security, peaceful coexistence and make Nigeria take its rightful position in the comity of nations.
These problems won't be solved by wishful thinking, and neither should
we expect non-Muslims to solve them for us. You're the one that knows where the
shoe pinches so, you need to get up, speak out and get active.
The
'ENGAGE' campaign has two facets,
- A campaign and mobilization to get as many Muslims of voting age to register, join political parties of their choice and aspire to political offices and;
- A structured programme to educate voters on how/why to engage with candidates and participate in the political process to obtain optimum representation and good for the society.
MPAC does
not engage in partisan politics and this campaign is a programme to
actualize our vision of Muslim political empowerment. Our organizational
decisions will not be made improperly to influence politics. MPAC insists
on honesty, fairness, integrity, trust and justice in the political process and
will advocate for voters to vote for any candidate of their choice based on
their conscience.
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