* Why S’West is highest in rights abuse against Muslims – Respondent
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has reacted to the decision by Lagos State Government to approve the use of Hijab by female Muslim students in public schools as a laudable “monumental decision”.
MURIC has been at the forefront fighting for female Muslim students to be allowed their fundamental right including the use of Hijab in schools, as refusing them on the basis of that is constituting risk to girl-child education.
It was reacting to a circular by Lagos State Government dated Tuesday 13th November 2018 to the effect of approving the use of hijab by female Muslim students in all public schools in the Centre of Excellence.
The DEFENDER reported that the circular read inter alia, “Since the case of the use of hijab in Lagos State is still pending in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the status quoshould be maintained to avoid contempt of the court. That is, students should be allowed to wear hijabs on school uniforms but same must be short, smart, neat and in the same colour of the uniform (skirt).
“Furthermore, schools’ managements are advised to downplay comments and disciplinary actions on the use of smart hijabs until the final determination of the case by the Supreme Court.
“No student should be discriminated against in any form on the basis of religion. All principals and teachers must be sensitized to comply accordingly. You are enjoined to adhere strictly to these recommendations”.
In a terse statement issued on Wednesday 14th November 2018, Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, hailed the state government for taking the decision, which he noted to be belated but better late than never.
MURIC according to the statement said, “Though belated, it is better to be late than never to do it at all. The wind of change is sweeping across the South West and no state government wants to be caught within the camp of reactionaries.
“We call on all government agencies and employers of labour to note this development. It is a monumental decision. The patience exhibited by Lagos Muslims has paid off. A quiet and peaceful revolution is ongoing and it is in the best interest of all men and women of goodwill to join the train before it leaves the station so that they may not be left behind.
“Reports reaching MURIC headquarters say the Tutor General Permanent Secretary (TGPS) of District 6 has also issued a circular directing all school principals within the jurisdiction to allow female Muslim students who wish to use the hijab to do so. We are yet to hear anything from Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. We are therefore calling on the remaining five TGPS to follow suit. Delay will imply insubordination and sabotage of government’s good intention.
“We congratulate the Lagos State chapters of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), the Muslim Congress (TMC), the Muslim Teachers Association of Nigeria (MUTAN) and the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN). We commend them for their steadfastness, patience and forbearance.
“In conclusion, we charge all the Islamic organizations in the state to immediately set up monitoring units for the successful implementation of the state government’s directive. Muslim parents should be mobilized to visit schools for the purpose of ensuring compliance. We warn that nobody should take the law into his or her hands. Defaulting principals and recalcitrant teachers should be reported to the nearest office of Islamic organizations.”
Why South West is highest in rights abuse against Muslims – Respondent
The DEFENDER investigations revealed that avoidable controversies regarding the use of hijab, not only in public schools but also, in other public institutions including hospitals and offices have been ferociously resisted largely in South West region.
We further found out that the claim of South West being the most peaceful in terms of religious matters is faulty as, we learned, what happens in the Yoruba speaking region would have made worst religion-based crisis situation if not that the deprived, that is the Muslims, decided to tolerate but push for their rights albeit unsupported by Christian-dominated media which in most cases, they complained, select choose to give prominence to Christian course than helping airing Muslim plights.
One of our sources said, “The reason is not farfetched. Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is the problem. Secondly, politicians in government, because of fear of losing votes, decided to pretend as if they do not see the atrocities of CAN whose members in positions of authorities in those institutions are cruelly depriving children or members of Islamic faith their fundament rights of access in their respective places.
“If that is not the case, you should have asked why is it that a government would keep quiet when a 12 years old girl of JSS class was given 43 strokes of cane because her so called SU principal saw her wearing hijab on her school uniform after closing hour? In a Lagos school! That action alone is criminal offence but while was the principal not arrested? Because she was working for group of some religious bigots, who believe that they are more influential in the South West region to do and undo.
“And is it not correct? For a very long time Muslims have been deprived and resisted from accessing development in the region due to the exclusion tactics of those people. Go and ask the so-called Afenifere people ‘Why do you not have a single Muslim member and you claim to be representing a Yoruba race where Muslims, if not in majority, share equal population strength with you?’ What you will hear them say is ‘This is a fanatic’. But if they hear a criminal bearing Muslim name do anything wrong in Northern Nigeria, they make the media awash with claims of ‘Islam as a religion of violence’.
“Yet, they are the so-called backbone in the region working hand-in-hand with CAN to ensure that Muslims will never be allowed any chance to rise to any level in the South West region and, because our politicians and so-called Civil Society Organisations fighting for human rights are mostly insincere, they choose to be unseeing the atrocities of that CAN-Afenifere conspiracy against members of Islamic faith in Yoruba Land.
“That has been the situation until, due to refusal of Muslim groups like MURIC, the needful is now being done and it is even because we went to court because you will observe that even this decision by Lagos State Government was not on platter of gold as it went to Supreme Court against the Appeal Court’s verdict that hijab is right of female Muslim students. And you would have observed how CAN that is not supposed to be seen anywhere near this controversy at all has taken the lead in the offensives and blockages posed to Muslims whenever they make effort to call for judicial or legislative intervention to address their plights in this regard. We say it is enough! It is over!!” He said.
