Supreme Court verdict: MSSN urges Lagos to issue circular on Hijab

He said: “This is not to castigate the Lagos state government but to appeal for the prompt implementation of the Supreme Court judgement. We waited patiently for almost a decade to get the judgement and we were lawful throughout. During this period, we consulted, collaborated, protested, held rallies and sensitised government officials on why a willing Muslim female should be allowed to put on the hijab.

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“The last time the state government issued the circular, we thought relief had come, some school principals, vice-principals and teachers feign ignorance of the approval of Hijab in Lagos State, and continuing harassing with our members. For no reason should a girl-child be denied education again in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole!

“The images of Muslim students sent out of the examination hall for wearing hijab touch the heart and consistently bring tears to the eyes. We do not want this to recur. The education of the girl-child is very paramount in our hearts. No Muslim girl should ever be told to choose between her faith and education. Both are her rights.”

National Amir of MSSN, Uthman Abubakar, lamented that Muslim students have for long suffered discrimination.

Abubakar, who was represented by the General Secretary of MSSN Lagos, Hamzah AbdulFattah, said, “The MSSN salutes the courage, understanding and application of the Constitutional law as it is by the panel of the justices. The judgment is manifestly credible and guarantees as one of the fundamental Human Rights granted to Muslims and any other adherents of a religion.” he said.

Ameerah (female head) of MSSN Lagos State Area Unit, Basheerah Majekodunmi, called on Muslims to be lawful and report any violation to the appropriate quarters.

“We call on all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religion to join this voice as part of solidarity with the Muslim women most especially the female secondary school students, who are brazenly and incessantly harassed and assaulted because they wear hijab to schools in their own country,” she said.

On her part, Executive Secretary of Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Shereefat Enessi, commended the Supreme Court for the judgement.

“It is not a victory for the Muslims alone, it is a victory for civilization, for democracy and for peace. We are not all Muslims and as such understanding, the importance of a religious command like hijab may not be easy, but at least we are all in the same boat that is Nigeria, pulling each other down would only take us all down,” he said.

THE NATION