Give Us Circular on Hijab – Muric to Lagos Government
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has asked the Lagos State Government to issue a circular on the permissibility of using hijab in public schools in the state. The group hinged its request on incidents in the state’s public schools in which some teachers maltreat female Muslim students who use hijab.
The demand was made in a press statement issued on Tuesday, 21st December, 2021 by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads :
“Female Muslim students are daily exposed to humiliation, persecution and denial of Allah-given fundamental human rights in Lagos public schools over the use of hijab. Although there is a subsisting court judgement in favour of hijab use, school authorities hide under the cover of the absence of an official circular approving or unbanning use of hijab to infringe on Allah-given fundamental human rights of the Muslim girl-child.
“The spread and sequence of these violations and abuses are alarming. Our records show that Lagos schools where female Muslim students are disallowed from using hijab in October 2021 alone include Okota Senior Grammar School, Okota, Isolo, Ogba Junior Grammar School, Ogba, Alimosho Junior Grammar School, Alimosho, Community Primary School, Ilogbo, Anglican Primary School, Ijanikin, L. A. Primary School, Ilogbo-Elegba, and Fazil Umar Ahmadiyyah Primary School, Okokomaiko, to mention just a few.
“The most recent one is the incident at Igboye Community High School, Igboye, Epe, Lagos State, where two female Muslim students were made to stand outside the classroom in the sun while their classmates were writing an examination. This happened few days ago in December 2021 and their only crime was that they wore hijab.
“Meanwhile MURIC is aware that the state government does not support the maltreatment of female Muslim students who wear hijab. The Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo always intervenes whenever MURIC reports any case of overzealousness of a school principal or teacher over the hijab issue.
