World Hijab Day: Muslim women lament discrimination

A coalition of women groups under the aegis of Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative has lamented what it called frequent discrimination and harassment of women over the use of hijab.

The groups, comprising Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Al-Muminaat, The Criterion, Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) and Guild of Muslim Professionals, decried the situation, on Wednesday, in Lagos, at a media briefing to mark the World Hijab Day.

The World Hijab Day is an annual event celebrated on the first day of February in over 140 countries. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness about Islamic practice of dressing modestly in clothing that covers most of the body and to encourage non-Muslim women to experience the hijab for a day.

The groups’ coordinator, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, accused some government and private agencies in the country of involving in the discriminatory act which she described as an infringement on the women’s constitutional right.

Orolu-Balogun, a lawyer, said despite their qualification, most women in hijab had been denied jobs and other opportunities.

She explained that women in hijab were also forced to expose their ears as well as their heads before writing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) or getting Bank Verification Number (BVN).

“Imagine being asked to take off your shirt or your trousers because you wanted to get your driver’s licence, or being told you would not be able to vote in the next elections because you wouldn’t bare your shoulders or show your cleavage in the picture on your voters card, or that you wouldn’t have access to the funds in your bank account because you refused to show your bare back in order to register for your BVN. These, and worse, are what a Muslim woman who wears the hijab feels when she is asked to take off her hijab or expose her ears before she could be allowed her constitutional rights”, Orolu-Balogun said.

She described hijab as religious duty and an obligation on every Muslim woman in the observance of her faith, saying that it was not culture of Arabs or a fashion accessory that one might discard at will.

“The right to believe in and practise one’s chosen faith is an inalienable right of every human being, as entrenched in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)”, she added.

Also speaking, MSSN Lagos State Area Unit President, Hajia Hafsah Badru, appealed to the media to demonstrate objectivity, fairness and accuracy in reporting cases related to use of hijab.

According to her, asking a Muslim woman to remove her hijab is a form of violence against women. She said such should have no place in a progressive society like Nigeria.

”One thing we all seem to agree on is that violence against women is wrong in all its forms, whether it is physical, emotional or psychological.  However, covering one’s head doesn’t mean that person should be looked down upon or be underestimated, women in hijab deserve to enjoy their constitutional right,” Hajiya Badru said.