The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to the federal government to approve a four-and-a-half-month leave for female employees who lose their husbands.

MURIC executive director Ishaq Akintola stated this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

He stated, “Our attention has been drawn to the predicament of widows nationwide regarding the way they are treated by their employers immediately after their husbands die. It is common knowledge that the Nigerian government does not recognise or give any particular succour to working women whose husbands die. 

“More often than not, they are left at the mercy of their employers who may or may not give them one or two days off duty. This is heartless to say the least. A woman who loses her husband to the wicked hands of death is going through a harrowing experience. Losing her husband to the cold hands of death is a tragic landmark in a woman’s life. 

“She needs sympathy, companionship and plenty of time to rest. Her life needs re-planning, re-engineering and reorientation. The least her employer can do for her is to give her time for all that.”

Mr Akintola added, “This is why the Glorious Qur’an in chapter 2 verse 234 stipulates a recovery or waiting period of four months and ten days for Muslim women whose husbands just died. The fact that the command comes from the Glorious Qur’an makes it a fundamental human right enjoined by Allah. 

“It is Allah-given. It is divine, not human. Therefore, no individual homo sapien, institution or government should oppose or deny it.”

According to him, this period is called ‘iddah in Islam. 

He noted that a new Muslim widow must observe the ‘iddah not only for her to recover but also for her and her husband’s family to ascertain if she had been pregnant before the husband died. 

She is expected to remain indoors throughout the period.

“As always, MURIC remains committed to the welfare of Nigerians, particularly vulnerable ones like women and children. We appeal to both the FG and state governments to consider the case of widows on compassionate grounds,” stated the MURIC director.

He stressed that “we could have demanded the widows’ leave for Muslim widows alone because it is the Glorious Qur’an that commands it.” 

But, Mr Akintola explained that the issue of equal rights comes in, and a human rights group like MURIC “cannot afford to be selective while demanding Allah-given fundamental human rights for women.” 

The MURIC director added, “We therefore demand a four-and-a-half months’ leave for all widows working in federal, state and private establishments. We note with immense pleasure that even men now enjoy paternity leave. This widows’ leave, therefore, becomes a question of good conscience for states that have already granted paternity leave to men. 

“For if men enjoy paternity leave when their wives deliver new babies, it stands both logic and good conscience on their heads if we fail to extend similar relief to distressed and twice vulnerable widows.”

(NAN)