24th September, 2018
PRESS RELEASE:
HIJAB BRUHAHA: CALL LAGOS TEACHERS TO
ORDER
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has kicked against the
action of Mrs. J.O. Sadare, principal of Isolo Senior Secondary School who
suspended five female Muslim students on Friday 13th September, 2018
for wearing hijab. MURIC described the principal’s action as overzealous,
infantile and condescending.
MURIC’s reaction is contained in a press statement signed
by its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday, 24th
September, 2018. According to the human rights organization, Mrs. Shadare’s
action is a manifestation of acrobatic religiousity.
“It is now clear to everyone that some Lagos teachers have their anti-Muslim agenda. They just hate the sight of Muslims. We have no iota of doubt that the state government is unaware of the actions of these Muslim haters. The sad thing is that such teachers are tarnishing the image of the state government by their actions. It is quite disappointing that when the whole world is trying to ecourage the girl child to realize her full potential, some Lagos teachers are bent on retarding her progress by sending her out of school. We therefore call on Lagos State Government to protect the Muslim girl child.
“Like Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls, female Muslim
students in Lagos are in captivity. They are not free to ‘manifest’ their faith
as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Their
parents watch helplessly as their daughters are derobed and molested in public.
There have been instances when Christian teachers go to the extent of beating
up female Muslim students in hijab inside commercial vehicles and on the
streets. The Muslim girl child is now an endangered specie in Lagos State
schools as a result of the refusal of the state government to obey the order of
a higher court.
“Apart from the Isolo incident, there have been six
different instances where Allah-given fundamental rights of female Muslim students
were violated in Lagos schools. All the six instances occurred in 2017 alone.
This is apart from those reported earlier and those that were not reported. We
have the names of the teachers involved in the six cases. We also know their
schools. The records are in the cooler for appropriate legal action at a future
date.
“Those claiming that there is religious tolerance in the
South West can now see the fallacy in that claim. The reality is that Muslims
are at the receiving end and the peace of the graveyard which the region is
enjoying now is due to the uncommon resilience and astounding forbearance of
Muslims.
“It is true to some extent that Christians and Muslims live
together peacefully in Yorubaland. They even live in the same houses without
fighting. But that is only because they know one another individually. A
different scenario plays itself out when they face religious matters in their
communities or in their states. Christians bitterly oppose the requests of
Muslims and they flagrantly violate the rights of the latter.
“The same Christian neighbour or fellow tenant who plays
and jokes with his Muslim co-tenant is the same man who will snatch the hijab
of a female Muslim student from her head when he gets to the school where he is
a teacher. He is the same man who will vehemently and viciously attack the idea
of Islamic banking or disallow the Muslim staff under him from going for Jum’ah
prayer.
“Analysed further, this means that the perceived friendship
and tolerance among Christians and Muslims in the South West exist only among
individuals who know themselves but there is bitter enemity on institutional
matters. It is only on the surface. There is a wide gulf between them when
issues affect Muslims generally. Examples are the hijab affair, the Friday
question, Islamic banking, Shari’ah, etc.
“The reaction of Christians in the State of Osun when the
state government approved the use of hijab in public schools after a court of
competent jurisdiction ruled in favour of hijab is a good example. The state
branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) ordered Christian students
to wear church garments like choir dresses to school. There was pandemonium. It
is therefore our considered opinion that the South West is sitting on a keg of
gunpowder for so long as Muslims are denied their civil rights.
“The best advice we can give Lagos State now is to allow
sleeping dogs to lie. Stop stirring the hornet’s nest. Let the Muslims go. The
issue of hijab in particular has gone viral. It is now a matter of serious international
concern. Advanced democracies of the world like Britain, Germany and the United
States allow Muslims to use it in school. In the South West, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo
and Ogun have approved it. It remains Lagos and Ondo alone. What is the ‘center
of excellence’ waiting for? Should the ‘center of excellence’ be the last to
dish out a dividend of democracy?
“As we round up, we warn teachers and principals not to
export their religious gymnastics to public schools. Lagos State government
should respect the decision of the Court of Appeal. That is the path of
honour. Lagos as the center of
excellence should walk its talk. Lagos has a moral duty
to protect the Muslim girl child. It is the only path towards peaceful coexistence.
Lagos authorities should not wait until Muslim students and
their parents mobilize to schools where their daughters are abused, stigmatized
and traumatized. The continuous harassment of the Muslim girl child over hijab
is a serious threat to public peace, a cog in the wheel of democracy, a drag on
global best practices and a dent on the efforts of the state government to
engender religious harmony”.
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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