MONROVIA, Montserrado – Ali Krayee, head of the National Imam Council of Liberia, has called on fellow Muslims to avoid voting for anyone in the October 10 general elections who advocated for making Liberia a Christian nation.

The statement seemed especially directed at Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor, the vice standard bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change, who has been under pressure from Muslims over her support for a Christian state.

According to Krayee, individuals that advocated for a Christian state betrayed the trust of Muslims and do not deserve to be reelected.

“Any Muslim that gives such person a new mandate is deceitful to the Islamic religion,” he said.

Krayee said the Imam Council aims to advise candidates of the various political parties to behave in a manner that serves the interest of Liberia.

As part of that, the council is monitoring the various presidential candidates about what exactly they will do for the country after being elected.

“The council has also been engaged with advising and cautioning the electorates to understand that Liberia is the only country we have and that the elections will come and go but we as citizens will remain and be friends,” he said.

Krayee said members of the council had met with the standard and vice standard bearers of the Coalition for Democratic Change, Liberty Party, the Movement for Progressive Change, Liberia Transformation Party, Unity Party, the Alternative National Congress, and others about the needs of the Muslim community.

“The presidential candidates were made to understand that as a community, Muslims are interested in unity, peace and the development of Liberia,” he added.

He said the age-old issue of dedicating a holiday for Muslims has yet to be addressed. Liberia has a law designating Christmas as a holiday, however, there are no Muslim-specific holidays.

“There are several holidays for Christians, to include Easter and Christmas celebrated in Liberia”. He said there are no laws in Liberia that makes the two days holidays.

Krayee said most of the presidential candidates did not take a position on the issue of establishing a Muslim holiday although he said they all expressed a belief that “all Liberians should be treated equally regardless of religious and other backgrounds.”

But Krayee said the council was “not merely interested in words.” He hoped that the victorious candidate would “demonstrate practically that the country belongs to all Liberians.”

While he said Muslims in Liberia are accorded their full rights as citizens individually, Krayee believes that as a religious community, Muslims are still struggling to ensure that the state recognizes them.

“Muslims feels that Liberia is not theirs because Ramadan ends and they do not have the same opportunities as provided their Christians brethren [for Christmas],” he said.

A Muslim child has to request permission from school authorities to celebrate the end of Ramadan, he said.

“The mere fact that a citizen of the Liberia will have to ask for permission in order to observe his or her religious holiday is a denial of the person’s rights,” he said.

Muslims are not asking the government to build mosques and religious schools for them, he said; they only want a holiday.

Featured photo courtesy Timothy Eye