World Hijab Day: Discrimination against women in hijab unconstitutional, antithetical ― Group

A coalition of Islamic Group has said that prejudice against women in veil is not only unconstitutional but also antithetical to the development of the country, urging the Federal Government to ensure that women in hijab were given equal opportunity and not treated unjustly on the basis of their appearance.

The Executive Director Hijab Right Advocacy Initiative, Hajia Mutiat Balogun, said this at a press conference to commemorate 2020 World Hijab Day, pointing out that continued denial of Muslim girls and women in hijab deprives and reduces the chance of the victims getting further education and other things as guaranteed by the constitution.

This was just as she lamented that despite court rulings on the right of women to use hijab, they were still being treated unlawfully whenever they applied to obtain an international passport, National ID Card, and even during WAEC and UTME registration.

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Balogun, while denouncing such discrimination, argued that promotion of girl child education can only be achieved if the girls in hijab were not harassed or molested by their teachers on the basis of hijab usage.

She said it was high time Nigerians stopped needless discrimination against women on the basis of hijab, declaring that women and girls in hijab had performed proven to their capacities to the whole world.

“Give this a thought, girl that was forced to remove her Hijab in order to write an exam will definitely not perform optimally reducing the chance of getting further education, despite our claims of promoting the education of the girl child.

The Muslim nurse who had to change her profession because she was not allowed to wear her hijab, may be just the person you need to get you through your hard time in hospital!

Denying a person their right not only affects them but affects us all! What we Muslim women want is simple, we want to secure our rights as provided by the Constitution,” Hajia Balogun.

The executive director of the group, while appealing to the Federal Government to intervene and ensure that women in hijab were given equal opportunity and not treated unjustly on the basis of their appearance, maintained that women in hijab had the capacity to perform excellently in their callings.

“We want to be allowed to carry out our duties and contribute to our society without fear of discrimination or experiencing discrimination. We want our daughters to be able to attend schools, register and write exams in their hijab without intimidation, abuse and discrimination.We want to have equal access to services of regulatory bodies without being asked or expected to first compromise our faith. We want to be given a level playing field like everyone else, not to be denied job interviews, job placements and opportunities because we dress as obligated by our faith.”

May we all be able to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign,” she said.