Muslims Students Protest Prohibition of Hijab by Lagos Principals

hijabMuslim Students under the aegis of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, on Thursday protested the punishment of two pupils in Lagos by their principals. The principal of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Meta, Mrs. E.C Ukpaka, allegedly flogged one Aisha Alabi because she wore hijab, a head scarf worn by female Muslims, on the school premises.

Also, Mafoluku Senior Grammar School principal, Elizabeth Omidele, was accused of harassing Barira by telling her to pull off her hijab outside the school premises.

The protesters, took their protests to the office of the Lagos State Governor, insisting on seeing Governor Babatunde Fashola before they would end the protest. The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Religious Matters, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Kosoko, had earlier assured the protesters that government would attend to the matters judiciously.

He told them: “The governor is not around. He is not in the state. If he is around, he would have attended to you on the matters. Our governor is a friendly person and does not want crisis in the state.”

The group’s secretary, Shuaib Okuneye, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, complained that the pupils were deprived of their rights; he said, “Ironically, these principals have no problems with other female students wearing mini-skirt and mini-gowns as school uniform.”

25 COMMENTS

  1. It’s a secondary sch. and the students are to obey the staffs.
    If u’re instructed to pull off ur hijab and u fail to do so, thats disobeying instructions and u’ll be punished.
    With all respect, the hijab is majory used by female muslims. Nevertheless if the sch. authorities says no to it, its either you oblige and if u insist on using the hijab then you risk the wrath of the sch instruction or you change your school to the one that suits your philosophy.
    Don’t 4get its a govt. sch. and they are people administrating the affairs of the school.
    Nevertheless I stand to be corrected.

    • So even if she instruct a student to be naked, haba! we must recognise our limitations, nakedness is considered sacred in some religion and cultures. I believe if that teacher was to do that nefarious act in Christian country like England, she may end up been suspended or even be behind the bar. The earlier we learn to respect one another’s philosophy of life the better.

  2. Mr. Jide you are wrong. The constitution of Nigeria guaranteed every Nigerian the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under section 38. Therefore, every Nigerian is allowed to practice his/her religion without being discriminated, section 42 is instrutive. By virtue of the purport and import of the above sections, those principals are in breach of the students’ fundamental human rights, be it private or public school. Ok?

    • Mr Danlamii If an Hindu girl or christian girl tied scarf or sango worshiper(boy) tied his hair and paint his face how will the school look like. please lets abide by school rules and regulations.

  3. I am not tying to judge any of these above statements. But in my own point of view, every basic school whether private or government, has rules and regulations guiding the school which every student in there must abide with. This rules also consists of mode of dressing method for male and for female. And there is also a different some times from senior and junior classes. These uniforms is to make a students to look smart and cute. Then if we should go by whatever right and freedom in this issue, the male should also allowed to wear cap and agwada too to secondary schools. And those that their religions permits trousers have right to wear it too. We have not been able to practice the relevant things in the law now we want to start up another trouble. Please we need peace. There are muslim officers in the states, they abide by their code of dressings and not by their right of religion and like wise other religion officers too. Please let’s talk about something else.

  4. Mr or Mrs Anna; Sch rules are made by men and of course changes can be made to remove biases. As for the use of Hijab it is made compulsory as part of dressing of female muslims by God and can only be changed by him. Just discard the fact that every association or school has it’s rules cos it can be modified. Any act of pleasing men and displeasing God is TOTALLY PROHIBITED in Islam.

  5. Pls! pls! pls! Hijab or no Hijab ur child cn still learn, so wats d big deal? We r too religious in dis country yet we r among d most currupt countries. Lets channel our religious fanatism towards better Nigeria.

  6. Every school has a uniform for identification an orderliness so if hijab isn’t part of the uniform then she shouldn’t wear it and if she is not comfortable with that, she can just go 2 an Islamic school

  7. I think in Lagos State,there are some Schools known as Adsaudeen Sec.Schs.These schools are operatin based on Islamic principles,so those that want to put on Hijab have the choice of getting admitted into such schls.Circular Schools should be for circular student and not religious students.In France,Hijab is banned cos France is a circular state.let us seperate religion from circular issues.

  8. There are Islamic skools dat allow hijab, why not go there instead of trying to alter the dressing code of a skool dat prohibits hijabs, that’s why it’s called skool uniform, where is d uniformity wen some deviants choose to where something extra? Dat is altering d skools dressing code. It is rebellious of any student to wear hijab in a skool wit a clear dressing code dat doesn’t include hijab. Muslims shd stop promoting & supporting rebellion & disobedience to constituted authorities by respecting laid down regulations including simple dressing code, or in d alternative go to skools dat permit such.

  9. Can U see the kind of obligacy and immorality this people are trying to practice….. Imaging, If U said Hijab or what have U should be allowed, Then cultist also should legally to dress in their conduct of dressing anywhere…. That’s rubbish…. If U want hijab go to muslim shool

  10. Like one of the fellow rightly said above that every center of learning have its own rules and doctrine, and beside I presume the school rules only prohibits any dressing that does not attest clearly and address a student uniformly and I think anything the student will wear that is not from the school is a crime to the school and God as well, God is more interested in the heart. Not materialistic appearance for blessed is the pure in heart.

  11. Pls, i really think that the protest was uncalld for. Is wearing hijab more important than learning? How many years do they have left in school? Cant they be patient? When you’re in school, you are to OBEY the school rules and regulation. And i believe that these protesters were encouraging disobedience… The rate at which we protest these days eh. Hmm, nawa oh

  12. why is this HIJAB giving all of you headache? Someone says she prefers using hijab to dresses imposed by egocentric human being (man) that reveals her precious body. All of you are shouting rules & regulations as if you are law abiding CITIZENS, is it not the same law that gives the little girl the right(RELIGION) to put on hijab? So which one is superior the school or the constitution of the FRN? Most of you are not objective in this issue. Many of these students go to school in skimpy skirt & gown, some in rosary, face cap, while some ‘sag’ like they say. So all of you are contented with all these. Its the hijab that give self respect & honor that is giving you trouble but if those girls that wear tight uniform that reveals their shape, size of their breast & buttocks. You will be happy starring at them. (Free film show). One uses the brain to learn not HIJAB. So leave HIJAB alone. It has come to stay

  13. why is this HIJAB giving all of you headache? Someone says she prefers using hijab to dresses imposed by egocentric human being (man) that reveals her precious body. All of you are shouting rules & regulations as if you are law abiding CITIZENS, is it not the same law that gives the little girl the right(RELIGION) to put on hijab? So which one is superior the school or the constitution of the FRN? Most of you are not objective in this issue. Many of these students go to school in skimpy skirt & gown, some in rosary, face cap, while some ‘sag’ like they say. So all of you are contented with all these. Its the hijab that give self respect & honor that is giving you trouble but if those girls that wear tight uniform that reveals their shape, size of their breast & buttocks. You will be happy starring at them. (Free film show). One uses the brain to learn not HIJAB. So leave HIJAB alone. It has come to stay

  14. Olayinka u are out of point, bcos d mini skirt nd tight clothes u talked abt, are stil skul uniform which did nt differentiate dem or make dem luk different bcos is d skul uniform nd is nt different 4rm d pattern of skul uniform But hijab is totally different, i.e d colour, d pattern nd everytin abt it is different. Muslems shud stop contradicting nd confusing demselves cos dey are nt d only seperate religion we hav. We hav pagan or juju worshippers, we also hav christains in different way of worship nd dresing lik d white garment church dat wear white garment. So if every religion shud dress dia way 2 skul dat means it wil nt b in uniform. So dey shud respect dia selves nd let dat law work 4 all cos no1 is above it or dey go 2 muslem skuls or create dia country.

  15. Nigeria is not a secular state!What is a secular State?If Nigeria is a Secular state why then do we have the word GOD in our National Pledge?If Nigeria is a Secular State ,why do we say Prayer at Public events?If Nigeria is a Secular State,why do we have Mosque and Church even at the Aso,even at our Universities both Federal and States?If nigeria is a secular state,how did it happen that The Nigerian Constitution recognised our Faiths both Islam and Christianity?Again,I ask,how would a School rule(s) and regulation(s) overrule The Nigerian Constitution?If a non-Muslim fails to practice his or her religion,it is his own decision and that should not make him stop Muslims from practicing their faith .Any rule that contradicts the Constitution is Void.