TMC PRESS RELEASE

The Muslim Congress (TMC)

1 Thanni Olodo Street, Off Ikorodu Road, Jibowu Bus-stop, Lagos

08023462555

December 31, 2015

 

 

CALL FOR RESTRAINT ON MR. PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS ON POSSIBILITY OF BANNING HIJAB

 

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the universe. May His peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his faithful companions and dutiful followers till the end of time, amin.

 

The Muslim Congress (TMC) like other Islamic Organisations in Nigeria is disturbed, shocked and offended by the comments of Our Dear President, Muhammadu Buhari during the Presidential chat of Wednesday December 30, 2015 that he may ban Hijab if the suicide mission and senseless bombing of the Boko Haram sect continues. Is this the official New Year gift of Mr. President to the Nigerian Muslim Ummah because it came just two days to 2016?

 

While calling for restraint, there is a need to react to the heat the statement has generated. For the educated and matured audience, the comments of Mr. President is very clear because, there is a big difference of space, time and legal capability between “I may ban Hijab” on one hand and “I will ban Hijab” on another. However, for the mischievous individuals looking for loophole to oppress Nigerian Muslims (Women and Girls), the presumption in the social media is that the President had concluded arrangement to ban Hijab; he is onlyHi jab perfecting the modalities. This type of comment thrives in a society where emotion is placed above reasoning and reality. To this group, I say: Hijab predates Nigeria; it is an age old practice which has come to stay. It is our logo, lifestyle and ethical treasure. To the perverted minds it may mean something else.

 

Religion is good counsel, guided by this saying of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the leadership of The Muslim Congress is humbled to advise Our Beloved President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) through this press release to be weary of the Islamophobes and their Islamophobic agenda which is strategically designed and packaged to stereotype and demonize Islam, its symbols and blame the Muslims as the specie that is the ‘PROBLEM’ of the world. The media at the local and international levels have been vehicles for selling this toxic product - Islamophobia. It is therefore not a surprise that the question was posed to PMB.

 

We seek to inform the public that prior to the Boko Haram insurgency and till date, the Muslim Women and girls have been harassed in schools, offices, embassies, Passport Offices, NYSC camps, hospitals and public institutions for wearing Hijab. The comments of the President during the Presidential chat may open a floodgate to further harassment of a segment of the electorates who voted religiously and passionately for the APC-led government for the purpose of silencing Boko Haram. Why should the hunters be the hunted so soon?

 

In the Middle-East where terrorism has assumed endemic dimension, the ruling political class never contemplated banning Hijab, because Hijab is not the cause but extremism, hopelessness and bad governance. Islam and Hijab predate what is called Nigeria; our parents have been using Hijab before colonialism; they continued its usage under colonialism and after independence in the modern Nigeria. It is therefore a mirage for an individual no matter how powerful to contemplate banning a fundamental religious symbol of worship in Islam. Even the erstwhile ruling part PDP never attempted such misguided strategy.

 

The Muslims are not fools. We voted for change, is this how we shall be paid back! During campaign, APC never told us that one of its strategies for fighting Boko Haram and engendering an atmosphere of peace and development was banning hijab. If you ban Hijab, you deny our mums, daughters and sisters their fundamental human right clearly articulated by the Nigerian constitution, which you swore to protect.

 

Mr., President just imagine the lopsidedness of the implementation. Do you intend to ask policemen, army or task forces to enforce the proposed Hijab ban? Do you seek to issue circular on banning hijab to the Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals to force the Muslim women in government offices to remove their Hijabs including the wife of Mr. President, wives of the Muslim Governors and obviously the wife of the Communication Minister? Mr. President, do you want to direct the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to strip our girls and women naked?

 

His Excellency, when our women and girls refused to heed such illegal directives will they be arrested and imprisoned? These ugly pictures are just few of the crisis-ridden scenarios such ban of Hijab will engender in Nigeria. I am not an oracle, there obviously serious crisis ahead if the ban is enforced.

 

For those who do not know or are poorly informed about Islam vis-à-vis the use of Hijab, the directive to wear Hijab is divine and sacrosanct. No man, no matter how well-positioned in the society can upturn Allah’s instruction. Allah instructs:

 

“O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” (Quran 7:26)


“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex…(Quran 24:31).


“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 33:59)


The Hijab directive from Allah is decisive. The fact that the Boko Haram Sect members use Hijab as a cover for their heinous crime is not enough justification to ban it. Rather, the security methods, tactics and technologies should be upgraded to stem the antics of this evil group.

 

In as much as the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria does not give the president the powers to ban eating, drinking, marriage and religion, he cannot ban Hijab. Hijab is part of the dressing of a Muslim woman including the president’s wife and daughters. There was a time in Nigeria when HIV/AID reached an epidemic and pandemic dimension, yet the Presidency did not ban sex. Nigerians suffer untold hardship on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a popular religious group organizes its programme, yet there was no ban, rather the untold hardship is being managed. Armed robbers are presently using military uniforms to purse their cause, yet there was no ban on military uniform. The message we seek to pass to those with sound intellect is that you manage your head ache, you don’t cut off or blow up you head.

 

Finally, we urge the Our Beloved President to be focused in the battle against Boko Haram sect, militants, corrupt Nigerians, bigots, arsonists and refuse to be distracted and misguided into taking a decision that will pitch the Muslims against him, his party and his government under the pretext that Hijab is a kind of dress that will not allow security personnel to be sure of people identities.” PMB invest in modern security equipment and body scanners. Muslims are not terrorists; evil-minder people only exploit our symbols. Are we to be blamed?

 

Long live Nigeria, Long live the Muslim Ummah, Long live TMC 

SIGNED

Dr. Luqman AbdurRaheem MNIM, FAAE, FCEnt

Amir, The Muslim Congress

adigun86:
   TMC PRESS RELEASE

The Muslim Congress (TMC)

1 Thanni Olodo Street, Off Ikorodu Road, Jibowu Bus-stop, Lagos

08023462555

December 31, 2015

 

 

CALL FOR RESTRAINT ON MR. PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS ON POSSIBILITY OF BANNING HIJAB

 

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the universe. May His peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his faithful companions and dutiful followers till the end of time, amin.

 

The Muslim Congress (TMC) like other Islamic Organisations in Nigeria is disturbed, shocked and offended by the comments of Our Dear President, Muhammadu Buhari during the Presidential chat of Wednesday December 30, 2015 that he may ban Hijab if the suicide mission and senseless bombing of the Boko Haram sect continues. Is this the official New Year gift of Mr. President to the Nigerian Muslim Ummah because it came just two days to 2016?

 

While calling for restraint, there is a need to react to the heat the statement has generated. For the educated and matured audience, the comments of Mr. President is very clear because, there is a big difference of space, time and legal capability between “I may ban Hijab” on one hand and “I will ban Hijab” on another. However, for the mischievous individuals looking for loophole to oppress Nigerian Muslims (Women and Girls), the presumption in the social media is that the President had concluded arrangement to ban Hijab; he is onlyHi jab perfecting the modalities. This type of comment thrives in a society where emotion is placed above reasoning and reality. To this group, I say: Hijab predates Nigeria; it is an age old practice which has come to stay. It is our logo, lifestyle and ethical treasure. To the perverted minds it may mean something else.

 

Religion is good counsel, guided by this saying of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the leadership of The Muslim Congress is humbled to advise Our Beloved President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) through this press release to be weary of the Islamophobes and their Islamophobic agenda which is strategically designed and packaged to stereotype and demonize Islam, its symbols and blame the Muslims as the specie that is the ‘PROBLEM’ of the world. The media at the local and international levels have been vehicles for selling this toxic product - Islamophobia. It is therefore not a surprise that the question was posed to PMB.

 

We seek to inform the public that prior to the Boko Haram insurgency and till date, the Muslim Women and girls have been harassed in schools, offices, embassies, Passport Offices, NYSC camps, hospitals and public institutions for wearing Hijab. The comments of the President during the Presidential chat may open a floodgate to further harassment of a segment of the electorates who voted religiously and passionately for the APC-led government for the purpose of silencing Boko Haram. Why should the hunters be the hunted so soon?

 

In the Middle-East where terrorism has assumed endemic dimension, the ruling political class never contemplated banning Hijab, because Hijab is not the cause but extremism, hopelessness and bad governance. Islam and Hijab predate what is called Nigeria; our parents have been using Hijab before colonialism; they continued its usage under colonialism and after independence in the modern Nigeria. It is therefore a mirage for an individual no matter how powerful to contemplate banning a fundamental religious symbol of worship in Islam. Even the erstwhile ruling part PDP never attempted such misguided strategy.

 

The Muslims are not fools. We voted for change, is this how we shall be paid back! During campaign, APC never told us that one of its strategies for fighting Boko Haram and engendering an atmosphere of peace and development was banning hijab. If you ban Hijab, you deny our mums, daughters and sisters their fundamental human right clearly articulated by the Nigerian constitution, which you swore to protect.

 

Mr., President just imagine the lopsidedness of the implementation. Do you intend to ask policemen, army or task forces to enforce the proposed Hijab ban? Do you seek to issue circular on banning hijab to the Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals to force the Muslim women in government offices to remove their Hijabs including the wife of Mr. President, wives of the Muslim Governors and obviously the wife of the Communication Minister? Mr. President, do you want to direct the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to strip our girls and women naked?

 

His Excellency, when our women and girls refused to heed such illegal directives will they be arrested and imprisoned? These ugly pictures are just few of the crisis-ridden scenarios such ban of Hijab will engender in Nigeria. I am not an oracle, there obviously serious crisis ahead if the ban is enforced.

 

For those who do not know or are poorly informed about Islam vis-à-vis the use of Hijab, the directive to wear Hijab is divine and sacrosanct. No man, no matter how well-positioned in the society can upturn Allah’s instruction. Allah instructs:

 

“O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” (Quran 7:26)


“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex…(Quran 24:31).


“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 33:59)


The Hijab directive from Allah is decisive. The fact that the Boko Haram Sect members use Hijab as a cover for their heinous crime is not enough justification to ban it. Rather, the security methods, tactics and technologies should be upgraded to stem the antics of this evil group.

 

In as much as the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria does not give the president the powers to ban eating, drinking, marriage and religion, he cannot ban Hijab. Hijab is part of the dressing of a Muslim woman including the president’s wife and daughters. There was a time in Nigeria when HIV/AID reached an epidemic and pandemic dimension, yet the Presidency did not ban sex. Nigerians suffer untold hardship on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a popular religious group organizes its programme, yet there was no ban, rather the untold hardship is being managed. Armed robbers are presently using military uniforms to purse their cause, yet there was no ban on military uniform. The message we seek to pass to those with sound intellect is that you manage your head ache, you don’t cut off or blow up you head.

 

Finally, we urge the Our Beloved President to be focused in the battle against Boko Haram sect, militants, corrupt Nigerians, bigots, arsonists and refuse to be distracted and misguided into taking a decision that will pitch the Muslims against him, his party and his government under the pretext that Hijab is a kind of dress that will not allow security personnel to be sure of people identities.” PMB invest in modern security equipment and body scanners. Muslims are not terrorists; evil-minder people only exploit our symbols. Are we to be blamed?

 

Long live Nigeria, Long live the Muslim Ummah, Long live TMC 

SIGNED

Dr. Luqman AbdurRaheem MNIM, FAAE, FCEnt

Amir, The Muslim Congress

 

This is one of the problems we face in this country. Government actions are viewed through religious and sentiment lens. The president is a Moslem; I'm a humanist though residing in the southern part of the country. I voted for him because I saw Cleary his resolve to bail the country out of our present quagmire. The president's thoughts about ways to curb insecurities in the north eastern part of the nation is quite commendable. The person that wrote this post is not a better Moslem than PMB. If banning the Hiyab will reduce the numbers of people that die from Boko Haram sponsored attacks everyday in Nigeria, what are we still waiting for? France did it, Belgium did same. Are we better Moslems than those living in the two countries? That a fellow Moslem viewed this noble sacrifice from president Buhari is rather regrettable.

this is why terrorism in islam will never end. The Muslim stops using his brain once Islam is invoked.

how do we take clothing to be the reason for the insurgency