MURIC, NACOMYO hail Lagos govt’s approval of hijab in public schools

THE Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended the Lagos State government for approving the use of hijab by female Muslim students in all public schools.

The state government had reportedly said in a circular that since the case of the use of hijab in the state was still pending in the Supreme Court, the status quo should be maintained to avoid contempt of the court, which meant that students should be allowed to wear hijab on school uniforms “but same must be short, smart, neat and in the same colour of the uniform.

The government was quoted to have, in the circular, asked schools’ managements to ensure that no student is discriminated against in any form on the basis of religion and all principals and teachers must be sensitised to comply accordingly.

In a statement, MURIC praised the state government for taking the decision.

The organisation, in the statement, signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, called on all government agencies and employers of labour to note the development, which it described as 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.

“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’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN). We commend them for their steadfastness, patience and forbearance,” MURIC said.

It charged all the Islamic organisations in the state to set up monitoring units for the successful implementation of the state government’s directive.

In the same vein, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACMYO), in a release signed by its National President and National Secretary General, Mallam Suleiman Sani Maigoro and Alhaji Mas’ud Akintola, respectively, described the move as a welcome development.

The body implored the government to prosecute any principal or teacher or public official who flouts the new directive.

NACOMYO appealed to other states like Ogun and Ondo who are yet to key into the “hijab revolution” to take a cue from Lagos.

It also called on the authorities of the International School, University of Ibadan, to recognise the wearing of hijab as a fundamental human right of Muslim women and girls, which it said, is enshrined in the constitution of the of Nigeria.