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Liberia: Muslim Students supports Census, denounce speculations
Mar 20, 2008
by Michael Kpayili / Staff Writer

MNAMSAL
The National Muslim Students Association of Liberia have expressed committment and pledged to mobilize the Muslim community, particularly the youths and students, to actively participate in the national census as was declared at the joint stakeholder meeting with LISGIS at the Headquarters of the National Muslim Council of Liberia on February 9, 2008.

The National Muslim Students Association of Liberia is the largest established Islamic students based organization in Liberia working to unite Muslim students in Liberia, promote joint actions and peaceful coexistence amongst Muslims and non-Muslims in Liberia. The Association works for the education and empowerment of all Liberian students through various programs and advocacies.

In release issued in Monrovia yesterday, NAMSAL outlined several concerns as it relates to upcoming census adding "Development in Liberia is at a critical point that can only be measured and attainable with relevant data and statistics about the country, its people and resources and geographical distribution. Socio-economic and infrastructural development in Liberia can not be effectively attainable in the absence of factual data and geo-information statistics that can determine the number of people living in the country, their living conditions, and locations in the country", the release disclosed.

"We believe that accurate and balance data can only be obtained through housing and population census nationwide. This will also give individual Liberians and foreigners alike basic guides and data about country and its people. This is why we applaud and commend the present government for taking a bold step in conducting census to know the population and basic statistics about the country for the first time after 24 years", NAMSAL maintained.

Considering the importance of this process to the collective development of our countryNAMSAL leadership is calling on all Muslims residing within the borders of Liberia to give their fullest cooperation to the Liberian Institute of Statistics and Geo-information Services (LISGIS) in ensuring a successful National Census. At the same time, NAMSAL hereby dismiss all rumors that some Muslims in Liberia are not willing to cooperate with the census process due to fears of being classified as foreigners. The Muslim Students Association want to state here emphatically that the Liberian Muslims are committed to supporting any development programs initiated in the country, and are therefore in full preparation to participate in the national census.

Cognizant of the fact that active participation of the people in the national census is dependent upon mass awareness and sensitization, we hereby call on all Imams and Islamic clerics in Liberia to continue teaching basic information and lessons about census in their sermons during daily prayers and the Jumuat prayer on Friday so as to create maximum awareness and sensitization amongst the Muslims.

MNAMSAL

About the Author:
Michael Kpayili is a staff writer for TheLiberianTimes.com. Kpayili has written articles which have appeared on TheLiberianTimes.com since late 2005, and his hard hitting investigative journalism has earned the respect of the Liberian press community.

Michael Kpayili may be contacted at mkpayili@theliberiantimes.com.