Worship Is Sacred, But No Faith Owns The Road, Cleric Warns Nigerians

A public road is a shared public space. Muslims, Christians, traditionalists, atheists and agnostics all have the right to use it, and no religious group has the right to prevent others from using a major public road unnecessarily.

It has been observed that in some communities, worshippers obstruct roads and cause unnecessary hardship to road users, a practice that sometimes happens around Muslim places of worship and also occurs in some Christian communities. Whether it happens more among Muslims or Christians is not the issue, the practice is wrong regardless of who does it, and in a multi religious country like Nigeria, public roads belong to all citizens irrespective of religious affiliation.

A recent video showing a lady expressing anger over Muslims obstructing a road prompted this message to her and to others who may have experienced similar obstruction, whether on Fridays or during Ramadan, do not blame Islam for poor logistical planning by mosque leaders. Islam does not permit Muslims to unnecessarily obstruct public roads or cause avoidable hardship to others, since people have appointments, businesses, emergencies and livelihoods to attend to and should not be kept captive because others are worshipping, particularly those who do not even share the faith.

Mosque leaders should therefore plan adequately for large congregations, and where a mosque is too small, arrangements should be made for additional space without unnecessarily blocking major public roads, particularly where road users have no reasonable alternative route. Mosques with limited space should consider expansion, while those planning new mosques should think ahead about future growth and provide adequate space for worshippers from the outset.

Mosques are places of worship and roads are public infrastructure, and major public roads should not be turned into worship centres that inflict avoidable hardship on other citizens who have every right to move freely.

Some non Muslims have mistakenly assumed that road obstruction during Muslim worship is a fundamental feature of Islam, but it is not. This misunderstanding has even surfaced in recent discussions around a proposed government bill on preaching in public vehicles, with some Christians citing road obstruction by Muslim worshippers as grounds for government to also restrict such practices, an argument that should not be necessary in the first place, since road obstruction is not a teaching of Islam and should not be defended simply because those involved are Muslims.

At the same time, this issue should be addressed with wisdom. Fighting worshippers or verbally abusing them for road obstruction will only make matters worse, whereas polite engagement with the leaders of affected religious centres, alongside appropriate intervention by relevant authorities, can achieve far more lasting results.

Muslims building new mosques should have a clear plan for future expansion from the outset, so that today’s congregation does not become tomorrow’s road obstruction. The principle remains simple, worship freely, but respect the rights of others, because no religion has a monopoly on public roads.

By Abdul-Ganiyy Raji, National Da’wah Officer, NASFAT