Coalition warns of rising threats to Igbo Muslims, calls for inclusion of women with disabilities

THE challenges confronting Muslim women with disabilities and the realities faced by Igbo Muslims in the South East took centre stage on Thursday as a coalition of Muslim women organisations addressed the press in Lagos ahead of the 2026 World Hijab Day.

The press conference, held at the Alausa Secretariat mosque hall in Ikeja, was organised to commemorate World Hijab Day, observed annually on February 1.

This year’s global theme, ‘Unity in Hijab’, was locally adapted as ‘One Sisterhood’ to reflect Nigeria’s diversity and shared struggles.

Speaking on behalf of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajiya Kudrah Ogunmuyiwa raised concerns over what she described as the growing vulnerability of Igbo Muslims, particularly hijab-wearing women, in parts of eastern Nigeria.

She said the intersection of ethnic identity and religious practice has exposed Igbo Muslim women to discrimination, social exclusion and threats of violence.

Although Islam has been practised in Igboland for decades, she noted that Igbo Muslims remain “a minority within a minority”, often facing cultural pressure and hostility for visibly practising their faith.

Hajiya Ogunmuyiwa described recent hateful statements and alleged public calls for violence against Igbo Muslims by an individual identified as Mazi Kanayo as alarming and dangerous to national unity.

“Being Igbo and Muslim is not a contradiction,” she said, stressing that Islam transcends ethnicity and that Nigerian Muslims come from all ethnic groups.

She added that wearing the hijab does not diminish a woman’s ethnicity or citizenship, noting that an Igbo Muslim woman in hijab is fully Igbo and fully Muslim.

Condemning hate speech under any guise, she cited Section 24(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, which obliges citizens to respect the dignity and rights of others.

She warned that Muslim women in the South East are increasingly exposed to verbal abuse, social ostracisation, economic boycotts, physical intimidation and denial of basic services because of their religious identity.

“This situation is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy,” she said.

FOMWAN called on law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute hate speech and incitement to violence, urged traditional and community leaders in the South East to publicly condemn religious intolerance, and appealed to civil society organisations to stand in solidarity with Igbo Muslims.

The coalition also highlighted the plight of Muslim women with disabilities, describing their experiences as an overlooked reality requiring urgent attention.

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Speaking for the Al Mu’minaat (The Believing Women Organisation), Hajiya Hussainat Akintola said hijab-wearing Muslim women with disabilities face double discrimination, as persons with disabilities and as visibly practising Muslims.

She said many encounter inaccessible public spaces, including mosques, schools and government offices that lack disability-friendly facilities.

According to her, challenges include insensitive treatment by officials, humiliating identification processes, denial of assistive devices during security screenings, exclusion from religious spaces and employment discrimination.

“Islam honours the dignity of every human being, regardless of ability,” Akintola said, citing examples from the life of Prophet Muhammad, including the appointment of the blind companion, Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, to lead Medina in his absence.

She reminded authorities that Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and has enacted the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act 2018.

She called for accessible mosques and Islamic centres, disability-sensitive training for religious officials, inclusive policies, representation in decision-making and reasonable accommodations during biometric processes.

Earlier, the convener and Director of the Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative (HRAI), Hajiya Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, said World Hijab Day, founded in 2013 by Bangladeshi-American activist, Nazma Khan, has grown into a global movement observed in over 190 countries, including Nigeria.

She noted that despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, Muslim women in Nigeria continue to face discrimination and exclusion.

Activities marking World Hijab Day will continue with a special Juma’ah service today at the Alausa Secretariat Central Mosque, while the main event, a hijab walk, will hold on Sunday, February 1, starting from Allen, Ikeja, and ending at the Alausa Central Mosque.

The press conference was convened by a coalition of Muslim women’s organisations, alongside prominent Muslim groups, including the Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Nasrullahi Fathi Society (NASFAT), Pure Heart Islamic Foundation, Al-Muminaat, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (Lagos State Area Unit), An-Nujabau Female Forum, Izharul Haq Movement of Nigeria, and the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria, (FOMWAN), Lagos State.

Other participating organisations included the Criterion Lagos District, International Muslim Women Union, Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, Lagos Secretariat Community Central Mosque, Muslim Public Affairs Centre, Akhwaat Muslimat Organisation (Lagos), Muslim Rights Concern, Guild of Muslim Professionals, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, Pristine Cactus Foundation, and Women in Da‘wah.