Advocacy is not a craft but a calling; a profession wherein devotion to duty constitutes the hallmark. Sincerity of performance and the earnestness of endeavour are the two wings that will bare aloft the advocate to the tower of success. Given these virtues, other qualifications will follow of their own account. This is the reason why the legal profession is regarded as a noble one. [1]

Advocating for Muslims is to promote their interests, rights, and well-being. Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims are not new, but there appears to be a surge in recent years ranging from verbal harassment, hate speech, religious profiling and even violent attacks. Many Muslims in Nigeria also confront lack of equal opportunities in employment and education, and face restrictions on the public expression of their religion.

While the internet is an incredibly powerful tool for sharing ideas and connecting people, its wide accessibility has exponentially increased the prevalence of hate messages and anti-Muslim sentiments. Groups and individuals have found greater opportunities to spread messages of intolerance and hate far and wide without thinking of what damages hate rhetoric and hate crimes can do to our society. MPAC is working to eliminate the proliferation of hateful messages in all its forms, including  advocacy directed at media organizations and online companies to ensure their platforms are not incubators of hate.

[1] J.S. Jadhav v. Mustafa Haji Mohamad Yusuf, AIR 1993 SC 1535.

Creating a platform and resources for Nigerian Muslims to get involved, and conduct legislative and governmental advocacy to inform the policy-making process.