ABUJA,
March 5, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The federal court in Port
Harcourt, economic capital of Cross River state in south-eastern
Nigeria, has ruled against the demolition of a mosque situated inside
the Harcourt Port complex.
In
a verdict issued on Friday, March 4, the court invalidated a decision
by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to bring down the Muslim place
of worship.
The
Muslim workers union and Islamic organizations in Port Harcourt had
sued the NPA over its decision to demolish the 14-year mosque.
Refuting
NPA claims, they said in a statement on February 24 that the land on
which the mosque was built had been applied for and granted in 1991,
asserting the construction met all the necessary specifications and
standard.
The
Muslims also warned that the mosque demolition would affect more than
one thousand worshipers.
The
controversy first surfaced on February 9 when NPA Managing Director
Adebayo Sarumi proposed the demolition after visiting the Port
Harcourt complex.
On
February 24, a seven-day notice of demolition was served, promoting a
legal action by Muslims.
Construction
Crisis
“Muslims
in eastern Nigeria usually face a serious problem with the
construction of mosques and schools,” Hanbali Badmas of the Anpolu
mosque in Port Harcourt told IslamOnline.net Saturday, March 5.
“Although
Muslims in Port Harcourt number in the thousands there is a persistent
problem with building grand mosques.”
He
there are only four mosques where Muslims can perform the Friday
prayer, each accommodating no more than 50 worshipers.
Port
Harcourt is an industrial and commercial center where steel and
aluminum products, pressed concrete, glass, tires, paint, footwear,
furniture, and cigarettes are manufactured and bicycles and motor
vehicles are assembled.
It
is also the operational headquarters of the Nigerian petroleum
industry.
Muslims
make up around 5 percent of the city’s population, estimated at
1,133,400.
Nigeria’s
recent census shows that Muslims make up 55 percent of the country’s
133 populations, Christians 40 percent and five percent atheists.
However,
other estimates indicated that Muslims make up some 65 percent of the
country.
Twelve
of Nigeria’s 36 states have gradually applied the provisions of
Shari`ah since the return of democracy to the country in 1999, despite
the fierce opposition from the federal government.
