BEING TEXT OF A PRESS RELEASE MADE ON
29 AUGUST, 2016 BY THE MUSLIM RIGHTS’ CONCERN (MURIC) OGUN STATE CHAPTER ON
ATTACKS ON MUSLIM NURSES AT THE NEURO-PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL ARO, ABEOKUTA
MANAGEMENT.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Ogun State
Chapter is constrained at this moment to issue this press release due to the
unwarranted attacks by the Christian-led Management on Muslim nurses and its
penchant for ecclesiastical pursuit in a Federal government hospital.
Permit us to state at the beginning that the issue
of hijab (veil) by nurses in hospital is a fundamental human right and
Allah-ordained injunction contained in the holy Qur’an (Surat an–Nur chapter 24
verses 30 – 31) and even the Bible in I Cor. 11:4-12 that women should cover
their heads. However, we were not perturbed by the management’s disrespect for
the divine injunction only but its insubordination to constituted authority
which makes it posing great danger to our society of multi-religious nature.
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Midwife and
Nursing Council in a Circular dated February 11, 2002 referenced N&
MCN/CMF/721/1/3 stated that the use of hijab is a constitutional and
fundamental right of Muslim women for anyone who chooses to wear it yet the
Neuro-psychiatric Hospital management has been denying Muslim nurses the right
to use hijab.
The claim by the
hospital management that there is no extant rule or directive approving the use
of hijab is not only pure insubordination but outright disregard for a federal
agency such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council that issued the circular
authorizing use of hijab by nurses. Besides, every right thinking person should
help us ask the Hospital management extremists that if there is no directive to
use hijab as it claimed, was there any directive from Federal government
banning hijab use by nurses? If not, why prevent Muslim nurses from using hijab
if not pure extremism of the Management and the Islamophobic venture it has
vowed to promote?
When we got the
information, we investigated it and confirmed that the management under the
leadership of Dr A.O Akinhanmi was aware of the circular yet it was bent on executing
the mission of removing all vestiges of Islam in the Hospital.
In our effort to call the
attention of the management to our displeasure with their extremism and
insubordination, we wrote a protest letter dated and submitted on August 23,
2016 and acknowledged by the Provost office but to our dismay, the Hospital
management went weird by assigning and directing Mr Odigili and Mrs Akeweje to
ensure none of the nurses using hijab is
allowed into the ward even when nuns use theirs without hindrance.
In fact, in a normal
clime, the hospital management’s extremism ought to be met with stiff sanction
to serve as a deterrent and this is what should be done in this case except the
Honourable Minister of Health and other relevant authorities want to do the
usual practice of let me rub my brethren’s back, The intimidation has continued
since then and if not checked in time may be reciprocated by resistance of the
Muslim Community and Dr Akinhanmi and his messengers should be held responsible
for the consequences.
It is obvious that the
ensuing peace in Nigeria is possible because of the perseverance and tolerance
of the Muslims who despite unwarranted provocation from those who pay lip
service to the message of mutual respect for all religious adherents but never
for once abide by the admonition. If not, how does a Muslim hijab affect or
concern a non-Muslim if not sheer extremism and intolerance.
Apart from disturbing
fellowship everywhere, tolerant Muslims are still not allowed to practice their
religion and its injunctions and should this have been from a Muslim, the whole
world would have been engulfed with propaganda. These same set of non-Muslim
extremists went ahead in Ayotoro Road area of Abeokuta on June 30, 2016 and
beat up a student for using hijab in her residence while the Ogun state police
even collaborated by failing to make any arrest till date when formally
informed.
From the position of
the management of Neuro-psychiatric hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, it is glaring that
it has some pre-emptive agenda and having such management to continue leading
the hospital will create chaos. Therefore, we call on the Minister of Health
Professor Isaac Adewole and other relevant arms and agencies of government to
intervene by restraining the management of Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Aro from
further intimidation and victimization of Muslim nurses and other staff using
hijab unless it wants us to mobilize in full force to resist the fanatical
disposition of Management of the hospital. Since they have known their mission,
it would be better to allow them go out of the system to have time to establish
their own health institutions where their mission would better be achieved.
Therefore, we implore and call on the general
public and international organizations to prevail on the Management of the
Hospital to shed its Christianization agenda for national interest of promoting
justice, fairness and equity. We believe in live and let others live.
Therefore, since no Muslim has ever forced Christians to wear hijab, why
dictating to us how we should dress when we have our rights and do not impose
on Christians how to live their lives?
The management should let peace reign and stop
intimidating, victimizing and disturbing Muslims and ensure unrestrictive
permission to Muslim nurses to use hijab as guaranteed by the constitution
which provides “every person shall be
entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to
change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with
others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion
or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance’’ of which the use
of hijab (veil) signifies manifestation of one’s belief which the constitution
guarantees.
Luqman Soliu Olawale Muritado
Coordinator,
Public
Relations Officer
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) , Ogun State Chapter.
