Despite Supreme Court judgment and awareness of the significance of wearing hijab, Nigerian Muslim women, on Wednesday lamented public discrimination against women in hijab.
At a briefing to commemorate this year’s World Hijab Day (WHD) in Alausa, a coalition of Muslim Women in Nigeria, under the aegis of the Hijab Right Advocacy Initiative, has called on policymakers, law enforcement agencies, educators and service providers to urgently adopt policies and provide training to officers on respecting religious expressions, including the right of Muslim women to adorn their hijabs in public places.
The group comprises Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative (HRAI), Al-Mu’minaat (The (Believing Women Organisation), Nasru- llahi- L- Fathi Society (NASFAT), Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Lagos State Area Unit, Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Lagos chapter, The Criterion, Lagos District, International Muslim Women Union (IMWU), Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Lagos Secretariat Community Central Mosque, Muslim Public Affairs Center (MPAC) and Akhwaat Muslimat Organisation.
Others are: Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Guild of Muslim Professionals for Peace and Development (GMP), Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Pure Heart Islamic Foundation, An Nujabau Female Forum, Muslim Lawyers Association on Nigeria (MULAN) and Izharul Haq Movement of Nigeria.
The World Hijab Day is a yearly event marked every February 1 in over 140 to raise awareness against discrimination on hijab-wearing women.
Executive Director of HRAI, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, said: “Since its inception, World Hijab Day has been a movement that champions freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the rights of Muslim women to practice their faith without discrimination.”
She noted that this year’s theme, ‘Hijabis Unsilenced’ amplifies the voices of Muslim women who have long been marginalised, mistreated and faced discrimination because of their religious dress.
She said: “In Nigeria, where religious pluralism should be celebrated, Muslim women continue to face structural, legal, and social challenges that undermine their rights and dignity.
“We find it pertinent to reiterate that the issue of dressing, while it may be a means of cultural identity for some, for Muslims is legislation from God. It is not Arabian culture, neither it is a fashion accessory one may discard at will. It has also been protected by our laws. Wearing the Hijab by the Muslim female is the practical application of this constitutional provision. The supreme court in the case of Miss Asiyat Abdulkareem VS Lagos State has upheld the use of the hijab as being protected by the provisions of Section 38(1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), hence, a fundamental right.”
NASFAT National Women Affairs Secretary, Alhaja Ganiyat Babalola, called on the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Ms Abisoye Coker- Odusote, to incorporate the provision of the regulation concerning the use of Hijab in the retraining of the commission’s officials.
According to her, “Muslim women should not be asked to compromise their religious beliefs or have their fundamental human rights infringed upon during their biometric process.”
She recommended that government agencies adopt protocols allowing private biometric capture by female officials to protect the dignity and religious rights of Muslim women.
Amirah (female president) of MSSN Lagos State Area Unit, Hajia Rofiah Tijani, lamented the incessant harassment of female Muslim pupils in hijab.
She said: “Even when the hijab is allowed, some teachers and school principals compel students to tuck their hijabs into their uniforms, effectively diluting the full exercise of their constitutional rights. Our pupils in the primary schools are also being harassed, particularly those from disadvantaged and less educated backgrounds where their parents feel helpless in asserting their rights.”
She commended the Lagos State Commissioner of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, and the Tutor-Generals as well as the Lagos State House of Assembly for acting swiftly to correct these infractions as soon as they are reported. “While the Lagos state government under the Leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo- Olu has made significant strides in protecting the rights of Muslim Women and girls, the same cannot be said for Ogun and Oyo states,” she said.
Amirah of Akwaat Muslimah, Hajia Monsura Bankole, urged the Ministry of Education to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court judgment on hijab by continuously sensitizing school authorities and taking disciplinary action against those who persist in violating students’ rights.
She urged parents, caregivers and guardians to continue to educate their wards on the etiquettes of Hijab and not to participate in trends that go contrary to the spirit and intent of the hijab.
Welfare Officer of The Criterion, Lagos District, Hajia Risqiat Adam-Adedimeji, condemned the violation faced by Muslim women in Nigeria, the forceful removal of hijabs by law enforcement officers during arrests, whether in civil or criminal matters.
