The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) has condemned what it described as the “Islamophobic backlash” against 17-year-old Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi following her victory at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition.
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The organisation in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, said the teenager’s achievement has been greeted with hostile and disparaging comments by some Nigerians on social media.
MPAC said some of the comments questioned the economic relevance of Maryam’s accomplishment, while others argued that her success should instead be measured against achievements in mathematics, science or engineering.
The organisation also condemned comments targeting the teenager’s ethnic identity, particularly references to her Fulani origin, describing such remarks as irrelevant to her accomplishment.
According to MPAC, the backlash reflects a recurring pattern in which achievements by Nigerian Muslims, particularly in Islamic scholarship, are met with suspicion, ridicule or demands for justification in areas unrelated to their field of excellence.
The group said it is unacceptable for a young Nigerian who had excelled in Qur’anic scholarship to be subjected to mockery simply because her achievement is rooted in Islamic learning.
MPAC described the reaction as Islamophobia and warned that such conduct should not be dismissed as harmless banter or legitimate criticism.
The organisation noted that Maryam has demonstrated mastery of the Qur’an through memorisation, recitation, Tajweed and Tafsir before emerging victorious against competitors from 132 countries.
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It said the feat deserves national recognition and should be celebrated as a source of pride for Nigerians irrespective of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.
“Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi has done Nigeria proud. Nothing said about her diminishes that truth,” MPAC stated.
The organisation urged Nigerians to embrace mutual respect and reject attempts to exploit religious or ethnic differences to undermine individual achievements.
It also called on social media platforms, civil society organisations and religious leaders across faiths to play active roles in confronting hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric whenever they occur.
MPAC further encouraged Muslim students pursuing Islamic education not to be discouraged by criticism, urging them to remain committed to both religious and secular knowledge.
The organisation stressed that Islam does not require a choice between faith and achievement, but encourages excellence in religious scholarship, science, enterprise, community service and nation-building.
MPAC said it would continue to document and challenge what it described as Islamophobic rhetoric, while urging Nigerians, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to promote fairness, mutual respect and equal dignity for all citizens.
