The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has strongly condemned the emerging practice of engaging Salah rams in fights for entertainment in some South Western parts of Nigeria, describing the act as “wicked, sinful, and disgusting.”
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday, June 2, 2025, by the Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
According to MURIC, the group’s attention was drawn to disturbing video evidence showing young Muslims staging fights between rams bought for the Eid al-Adha (Salah) sacrifice. The group alleged that such incidents often occur without the knowledge of the adult owners of the animals.
“MURIC strongly frowns at this practice. It is wicked, sinful and disgusting. Muslims are actually expected to show kindness to animals even when such animals are meant for sacrifice,” the statement read.
The organization warned that the practice not only promote cruelty towards animals but also encourages violent tendencies among youths and can lead to financial and emotional losses for ram owners.
A video clip cited by MURIC featured a disturbing scene where a small ram was fatally struck by a much larger one during an organized fight.
Following internal consultations with its state chairmen, MURIC claimed the disturbing trend appears to be peculiar to the South West region. State coordinators in the South South, South East, North Central, and North West reportedly denied any such practice in their respective zones.
“The above report makes the practice of ram-fighting during Salah period an exclusively South Western affair. But is it Islamic? The answer is a capital NO,” Professor Akintola asserted, citing Qur’anic verses and Hadiths that emphasize mercy to all creatures, including animals.
MURIC also appealed to the National Assembly to enact laws criminalizing cruelty to animals and urged the Nigeria Police, especially in the South West, to take the matter seriously.
“Muslims who make rams fight themselves should be arrested and charged for cruelty to animals. We warn that any society that encourages wickedness towards animals can never succeed in eliminating crime and criminality within itself. Violence inspires violence and cruelty ignites bestiality,” the statement concluded.
The organization reminded Muslims that Islam prescribed humane handling of animals, particularly during slaughter, emphasized that rams and other domestic animals have Allah-given rights that must be respected.
