President is not anti-Muslim, Abati says

The Presidency has responded to allegations levelled by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) which accused Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of promoting an anti-Islam agenda.

The association raised alarm over a supposed Jewish symbol that had been placed on the new centenary N100 note and accused the president of trying to “promote Zionism.”

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati addressed the accusations while speaking to State House correspondents in Abuja on Monday, November 24 .

Abati said:

“Our attention has been drawn to a press statement issued by the Muslims Right Concern and signed by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola which made a number of allegations against President Jonathan.”

“I find Akintola’s allegations rather curious and they can be dealt with as follows: first, he needs to be told that President Jonathan is not anti-Muslim as he alleges.”

“Jonathan is the President of all Nigerians, whatever may be their beliefs. It is not true that the president is using the highest office in the country to promote Zion nation.”

The presidential aide also said MURIC owes the president an apology for what he termed as “a most unfortunate statement.”

Also addressed by Abati was Akintola’s assertion that Muslims were left out of the recently concluded National Conference. Abati said:

“It was a purposeful conference, a conference in which a lot of maturity was displayed. Religion did not become a big issue in that conference.”

“Rather, the conference became a platform for addressing many issues of general concern to various groups, ethnic or religious.”

“MURIC cannot claim not to know that was a very successful conference,” he added.

The presidential aide also clarified the issue of the new symbol on the centenary N100 note.

“The symbol his statement is referring to is the Star of David. There is nowhere on that note as indicated in the specimen that has been widely publicized where there is any Jewish or Zionist symbol or the Star of David.

“The Star of David is a hexagram which is two triangles of equal lines superimposed on each other. The hexagram is a very popular symbol but it is not on that naira note.”

“The symbol that he is referring to is not a Jewish symbol. It is what they call spark security feature.”

“It is an optical magnetic feature which enables the public to authenticate a currency note whether it is genuine or counterfeit. That is the function of that particular design.”

“That design is not a hexagram and it is not in any way associated with Israel or Jewish or Zionism. It is two squares merged into one with a Manila briquette, which is a symbol of the cowry money used during the colonial era.”

“It is an attempt on the part of MURIC to cause disaffection, because on the design of that note, the value of that note is written out in the three major languages in Nigeria, recognised in the constitution: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.’’

I believe that MURIC will see the need to quickly apologise for misleading the public and for issuing that kind of statement that can cause disaffection against the president,”Abati concluded.

MURIC said in a statement issued on Sunday, November 23, that its members had expressed worry over the appearance of the 'Jewish symbol' on a Naira note meant for all Nigerians.