MURIC threatens GOTV, says ‘Stop airing Christian programme on Prime Channel’

A prominent Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has issued a strong warning to the international cable television network GOTV, urging it to stop broadcasting the Christian televangelism programme Faith on its prime channel.

The complaint, which has sparked significant attention, was made by MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, who condemned the move as ‘offensive, nauseating, and denigrating’ to Nigerian Muslims.

According to a press release issued by the organization, the Faith programme, a Christian channel focused on televangelism, now occupies the first channel on GOTV, a slot that was previously reserved for advertisements and other programmes.

MURIC argues that this shift forces viewers, regardless of their religious affiliation, to watch Christian content by default whenever they turn on their television, an imposition that the group claims is an infringement on the rights of Muslim viewers.

MURIC describes this action as a form of “religious apartheid,” asserting that placing Christian content on a prominent channel without offering an alternative is an unjust act of religious imposition.

The organization claimed that this move violates the freedom of choice for Muslim viewers, who should be able to access television programming without being subjected to unwanted religious content.

They argue that this practice is divisive and unfair to the Muslim population of Nigeria.
In response to this development, MURIC has demanded that GOTV move the Faith program to a different channel and restore the first channel to its previous function.

The group has also given GOTV a one-week ultimatum, with the deadline set for December 9, 2024, to comply with the request.

Should GOTV fail to meet the demand, MURIC has warned that it might initiate peaceful actions, including encouraging Muslims to unsubscribe from the service.

The statement further urged Nigerian Muslims to remain calm, patient, and peaceful in the face of provocation, emphasizing the importance of lawfulness and non-violence.

“The law is on our side,” MURIC asserted, reminding Muslims that they have the right to reject a service provider that does not respect their faith or its Muslim customers.

The group also called for GOTV to revert to its original policy, where the last station watched by consumers would resume immediately when the television is switched on.

MURIC concluded by expressing concern that the network’s actions could escalate tensions in an already stressed nation, stating that Nigerians are already facing enough challenges and that GOTV should not add to the division.