Hijab: There’s ‘sinister plot’ to frustrate Muslim girl’s education – Coalition

A coalition of Muslim organizations yesterday said there was a “sinister design” to frustrate the education of Muslim girl-child over what it called the “persistent discrimination” against the use of Hijab.

The coalition comprising 20 Muslim organizations in Lagos made the declaration during a press conference to commemorate the World Hijab Day held at the Lagos Secretariat Central Mosque.

The coalition however urged the president, governors, the National Assembly and state assemblies as well as the Judiciary and all regulatory authorities “to uphold the provisions of the constitution and other relevant laws, to ensure that Hijab wearing Muslim Women are not harassed and discriminated against.”

Executive Director, Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, who addressed newsmen on behalf of other 20 Islamic organizations, declared that they would not back down in their advocacy against discriminating of Hijab wearing Muslim women.

She lamented that 10 years after the commemoration of World Hijab Day began and the various efforts made by the coalition, the discrimination still continued.

Orolu-Balogun said, “It is common knowledge that when Muslim women are found at the lower strata of the society or are uneducated, no one pays attention to how they are dressed.

“However, we find most opposition to when Muslim women and girls want to get an education, employment or public services open to all citizens their Hijab is in question. I cannot but agree with the quote, “The consistent denial of Muslim girls’ Right to Hijab seems to follow a grand and sinister design to discourage Muslim girls from Education by those who wanted them permanently at the background so as not to contribute positively to family, community, National and Global development.”

“This can be the only logical conclusion one can reach when some federal government colleges like Queens College and many government owned schools still ask Muslim girls to choose between their faith and getting educated; both of which are not mutually exclusive.

“The principals of these schools have ascribed unholy power unto themselves and have defied the law, court judgments, and good conscience and even the laws setting them up, by denying the right to wear the Hijab by these students.

“Despite all these challenges, Muslim women and girls have worked three times as hard, shown commitment and resilience, and are now trailblazing in their chosen fields.”

The coalition however called for a re-orientation of Nigerians on their rights and that of other citizens to be carried out by the relevant agency as a matter of urgency.

They also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to compel all regulatory authorities and bodies to prevent their staff and agents from discriminating against Hijab wearing Muslim women and refusing them services because of the Hijab, and adding punitive measures in order to forestall this issue from recurring exponentially.