MURIC COMMENDS LAW SCHOOL FOR CALLING FIRDAUS TO BAR

11^th July, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC COMMENDS LAW SCHOOL FOR CALLING FIRDAUS TO BAR

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed the Nigerian Law School, the Body of Benchers and the Council of Legal Education for deeming it right to grant redress by calling Amasa Firdaus to bar with her hijab.

In a press statement signed by its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group said the Nigerian Law School has succeeded in restoring the confidence of Nigerian Muslims in legal education by giving recognition to the identity of the Muslim person.

The Nigerian Law School called Amasa Firdaus to bar yesterday, Tuesday 10^th July, 2018. She was allowed to wear her hijab as she joined another 1,550 students with 11 others. Firdausa Amasa had earlier been denied entry into the hall for the ceremony in December 2017. The denial attracted a Tsunami of criticisms and the attempt by the House of Representatives to intervene via public hearing was truncated by a court injunction.

MURIC appealed to the authorities to allow other female Muslim students who elect to wear hijab below their wigs in future call to bar ceremonies. The organization argued that Muslims cannot be fully integrated into all aspects of Nigerian life unless authorities make inclusiveness a cardinal principle in their policies, rules and regulations.

MURIC also commended the House of Representatives for its quick intervention in the Law School hijab saga. The association lauded all Islamic organisations which showed interest in the struggle to liberate the Nigerian Muslim woman from the shackles of neo-colonialism as epitomized by the Amasa Firdaus phenomenon.

“In particular, we treasure the advice, logistic and diplomatic support provided by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs under the able, visionary and dynamic leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III. Equally praise-worthy are millions of Muslim youths who heeded our appeal for calm and therefore avoided public demonstrations over the Law School hijab imbroglio. This is indubitable evidence that MURIC’s efforts at re-engineering Muslim youths towards non-violence is yielding fruits.  

“To cap the edifice, we salute Amasa Firdaus. This is our heroine and our ambassador extra-ordinary. She is the game changer who successfully challenged an unjust status quo. Her name must be written in letters of gold when the history of the liberation struggle of Nigerian Muslims in a heavily Christianised society is finally chronicled.

“We doff our hats for her father, Alhaji Abdullahi Amasa, for sacrificing so much for a cause in which he believes. His preference for obeying Almighty Allah instead of pleasing ordinary mortals and his choice of al-Akhirah (the Hereafter) over and above this ephemeral world gave birth to the resilience manifested by his daughter.

“In conclusion, we urge female Muslim law students who are already accustomed to using hijab to continuing wearing it without nursing any fear of persecution. Hijab is an Allah-given fundamental human right of every Muslim woman. Our hijab is our right and our right is our right. We assure Nigerian Muslim women of unflinching solidarity and full support of Nigerian Muslims.

“Nonetheless, we appeal to Muslims throughout the country to be humble in victory, to seek no vengeance, to avoid issuing provocative statements and to pray for a brilliant and successful law carreer for Amasa Firdaus”.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)