Muslim Group, MURIC, Condemns Distribution Of Condoms On Valentine’s Day

Muslim group, the Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC), has
accused the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) of sexual licentiousness for
distributing thousands of condoms across the country on Valentine’s Day.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation had on Sunday distributed
500,000 units of condom across different locations of Abuja to commemorate
Valentine’s Day.

The Foundation also organized concurrent distribution in six
states in Nigeria and 36 countries worldwide.

But in a statement by its Executive Director, Ishaq
Akintola, a professor, on Tuesday, MURIC said, “The Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC) strongly condemns this action. It is not only misleading but wrongly
timed.

“Apart from the promotion of sexual licentiousness, public
and indiscriminate distribution of condoms to both married and single
individuals (including secondary school students) on Valentine’s Day is both a
disservice to history and a dishonour to St. Valentine himself.

“MURIC wishes to straighten the records in view of this
crude attempt to distort history. The proper way to mark Valentine’s Day is to
mount a strong campaign against premarital sex in particular and sexual
promiscuity in general. This is based on the fact that St. Valentine himself
died fighting against these societal evils.

“Students of history will recall that Emperor Claudius
outlawed marriage in the 5th century and forcefully conscripted young men into
the army. Sexual recklessness followed the issuance of this decree. St. Valentine
confronted the emperor’s draconian decree and joined young men and women in
marriages in order to bring sanity back to society. He was subsequently
arrested and executed on 14th February, 270 C. E. 

“It is therefore an attempt to distort history for any group
to mark the day by distributing condoms.

Valentine’s Day is not a day for encouraging young girls to
lose their virginity. It is not a day to promote fantasies and secretive
dating. All these lead to fornication, adultery and the attendant pains of
abortion, teenage pregnancy, single motherhood and irresponsible
parentage.  

“St. Valentine can be better honoured and productively
remembered by mounting a campaign against premarital sex, encouraging
preference for marriage to immoral relationship, showcasing the beauty of the
institution of marriage as opposed to celibacy, promoting family values, and
highlighting responsible parentage.

“By the same token, we opine that the distribution of
condoms gratis to the public as a way of fighting HIV and AIDS is sheer
window-dressing. Those who are genuinely interested in stopping the AIDS
scourge are advised to strike at the roots. Indecent and provocative dressing
among women is at the root of sexual recklessness in society. Any country which
succeeds in controlling this phenomenon will find it easy to reduce the
transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to their
barest minimum.   

“In conclusion, we remind Nigerians that every single habit
in society is a parameter for judging its people, its present as well as its
future. We owe it a duty to check today’s immoral practices to avoid descent
into the abyss of Sodom and Gomorrah. We charge religious leaders to focus on
the reorientation of moral values in general and the reengineering of sexual
perceptions in particular.”