The National Muslim Students Association of Liberia (NAMSAL) has emphasized that the National Elections Commission (NEC) has at no point in time asked any of its temporary staff to ask Muslim women to remove their vail (hijab) or to deny any Liberian with an Islamic name from taking part in the voter registration process. NAMSAL said they were emphasizing this point because they have continuously been informed by their people that they are being denied by NEC temporary BVR staffs from registration because of their surnames and for wearing hijab.
“This act is unorthodox and should not be encouraged anywhere in our country. We want to encourage all of our people not to hesitate to contact us on 0777460332/0886775150 should they encounter any form of discrimination,” a NAMSAL press release sounded.
The group extended appreciation to the Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson T. Koijee, for joining them in the campaign against the continued discrimination of Muslims with surnames such as Barry, Bah, Konneh, Kromah, Jalloh, Kaba, and so forth. “People who are Liberians should not be denied on the basis of last names. NAMSAL is therefore calling on all meaningful Liberians, institutions and political parties to join her in this campaign as Liberia is a country for all and not a few,” the release added.
“We also want to thank the President for the timely conduct of the voter registration process, and his continued effort towards maintaining the peace of the country. We are also calling on the President to make sure that the violence emanating from district #10 is investigated, as it has the propensity to undermine the peace and stability of the country.
“Also, we want to encourage all Muslim students of the Republic of Liberia to take advantage of the membership form that was launched on the Seku Ibrahim Sheriff campus in the JJY community of the Japan Freeway, so as to legitimize their status with the association,” the release continued.