The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) Nigeria has condemned what it described as an “Islamophobic backlash” against 17-year-old Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi following her victory at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition.
MPAC, in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, said Maryam’s achievement had been subjected to hostile and disparaging comments by some Nigerians on social media.
The organisation said some commentators had questioned the economic value of her achievement, while others suggested that her success should be measured against accomplishments in mathematics, science or engineering.
It also condemned comments allegedly targeting the teenager’s ethnic identity, particularly references to her “Fulani origin”, describing such reactions 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, mockery or demands for justification in terms unrelated to the field of excellence.
The organisation said it was unacceptable for a young Nigerian who had excelled in Qur’anic scholarship to be subjected to ridicule simply because her achievement was rooted in Islamic learning.
MPAC described the trend as Islamophobia, warning that it should not be dismissed as harmless banter or legitimate criticism.
The group noted that Maryam had mastered the Qur’an through memorisation, recitation, Tajweed and Tafsir, emerging victorious against competitors from 132 countries.
It said her achievement deserved national recognition and should serve as a source of pride for Nigerians irrespective of religious or ethnic background.
“Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi has done Nigeria proud. Nothing said about her diminishes that truth,” the organisation stated.
MPAC also urged Nigerians to embrace mutual respect and reject attempts to use religious or ethnic differences to undermine individual achievements.
The organisation called on social media platforms, civil society groups and religious leaders across faiths to play active roles in confronting hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric whenever they emerge.
It further encouraged Muslim students pursuing Islamic education not to be discouraged by criticism, urging them to remain committed to both religious and secular knowledge.
MPAC 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.
The organisation said it would continue to document and challenge what it described as Islamophobic rhetoric while calling on Nigerians, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to promote fairness, mutual respect and equal dignity for all citizens.