MSSN fetes women on World Hijab Day

Lagos State Naibatul Amirah Communication, Alhaja Bushrah Adeagbo-Jubril (left); Secretary General National, Alhaja Aisha Adams; Education Officer National, Alhaja Sherifah Ajala, National Naibatul Amirah Networking/Coordinator Social Advocacy Project:SAP of Al-Mu’minaat, Alhaja Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade; National Amirah, Alhaja Nihmatullah Abdul Qadir; A member, and National Naibatul Amirah Communication, Hajia Mutiat Olusesi at the press conference on the World Hijab Day, held in Lagos.

The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has felicitated with Muslims all over the world on the occasion of 2019 World Hijab Day.The group appealed to the school managements to obey the Lagos State directive on the use of hijab by giving the Muslim girls the atmosphere to learn and study like their mates in schools.

The Amirah, MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit, Hajia Basheerah Majekodunmi called on Nigerians, regardless of tribe or religion to all join this voice as part of solidarity with the Muslim women most especially the female secondary school pupils, who are brazenly and incessantly harassed and assaulted, because they wear hijab to schools in their own country.

She noted that the theme for this year’s World Hijab Day is Breaking Stereotypes and Shattering Boundaries which requires every Muslim girl in Hijab to know that it is in Hijab and worship of Allah that Muslimah (a Muslim lady) can find security and highest degree of modesty.” She added that with hijab, a lady could achieve her potentials and attain any heights in life.

“Long before now, it is widely believed or assumed that Hijab hinders or serves as barriers against academic excellence, but this has been proved wrong with the cases of Asiyah Abdulkareem, a one-day Commissioner for Education in Lagos State and Barrister Amasa Firdaus who was called to the bar with her Hijab, among others.

“Also the story of the youngest medical doctor we ever had, Dr. Maryam Raji is still very fresh in our memory. The tide has actually changed and it is rather unfortunate that propaganda no longer sells. Before we got to where we are now on the issue of hijab, there were several legal engagements with the intervention of our lead Counsel, Adetola Kazeem (SAN) of blessed memory (May Allah grant him eternal rest), she said.

She underscored the authorization by the Appeal Court for Muslim members to adorn the hijab in their respective schools. “We took all these steps, because we believe in due process. We respect the laws of the land and all constituted authorities and the court. Ordinarily, people would expect us to go the violent way, but we won’t, because we are learned and peace loving people. It is just some people that have remained adamant in abusing the fundamental human rights that we are meant to enjoy in our own country.

“After some time, the Lagos State Government issued a circular (a circular of that nature is also equivalent to the law of the state) to all principals of public secondary schools instructing them to allow pupils, who want to wear the hijab on their uniforms. This is an indication that this is a government that listens, a government that recognizes the rule of law, a government that is aware that the right of an individual must not be infringed upon.

“But, it is unfortunate that what we see is that school managements and some defiant teachers are working against the Lagos State Government in its efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence of the diverse people of the state and ultimately to jeopardize law and order.

“We’ve now seen that some school principals, vice principals and teachers feign ignorance of approval of Hijab in Lagos State, while some people deliberately want to express putrid hatred for hijab by discriminating and molesting the Muslim students in Hijab.

“Meanwhile, they must note that their actions and inactions have caused our members huge emotional and psychological trauma that they now feel hated and rejected in their own country.”

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