Good day reader:

Recently, Justice Modupe Onyeabor of the Ikeja High Court dismissed the suit brought against the Lagos State Government by two Muslim pupils from Lagos State as it concerns the ban on wearing the hijab in public schools. She ruled that the ban does not violate the rights of Muslims as stated in the Nigerian constitution. Reason being, Nigeria is a secular country, etc. etc.

Granted, the ruling sounds fair enough (depending on your perspective) on paper. But it also ignores the blatant hypocrisy that is manifest in Nigerian governance when it comes to the government and religion. The same government that claims to be a secular one, sponsors yearly pilgrimages for faithfuls of Muslim and Christian faith. Then again, the uniform is meant to be, as the name implies, a uniform!

Clearly this is a thorny issue for Muslims, seeing as their rights (as they perceive) to freely worship is being tampered with. As is the responsibility of the government to maintain order where (as they perceive) it is required. So what then should be the way forward for the Muslims in Lagos State and Nigeria?

Let’s look at the options:

1. Appeal the ruling and get a favorable decision… and the ensuing lawsuits, as only one side is ever going to be favored.

2. Accept that the government has the right to determine the standards for dressing in its schools (that it funds)… and deal with the disgruntled reactions from the Muslim community.

3. Establish more Muslim schools where Muslim pupils can freely express and practice their faith without fear of discrimination.

My pick would be #3, obviously. And here’s why…

The government is allegedly by the people, for the people, and to the people. Is it possible for the government make its policies in such a way that it caters to desires of all of its citizenry? Nope. If you clamor for freedom and you seek such from your government, you surely won’t get all the freedoms you request. Simply because it affects the freedoms of other people.

An example of a community creating an environment for themselves where they can freely express their religious beliefs without risking interference from the government or causing offense to other religions is the Catholic Church. They have their hospitals and schools and what not. They are free to engage in the activities you would find in government owned hospitals and schools, and at the same time, abide by the dictates of their religion as they deem fit. You do not go to a Catholic school and expect to be able to make the Adhaan (Muslim call to prayer) at the time of prayer. The same way you would not expect to precede Jum’ah (Communal Friday prayers) with a chapel session.

This solution might seem far-fetched, but it is (as I see it) the easy way around the current situation. There need not be a situation where Muslims or Christians impose themselves on the public school system, forgetting that there are other faiths (or lack thereof) that make use of the same schools.

K0ala7:
No. And for obvious reasons.

When in Rome, act Roman...

LordReed:


The reason isn't obvious to me. Can you elaborate?

K0ala7:


They have a uniform that they enforce. Stick with the script or you stay out of their school.

LordReed:


So then how come the Muslims are not protesting that? Are they not proscribing their religious freedom?

K0ala7:


I don't understand where you're trying to take this. You do not go to an institution funded by private money and complain about their rules when you're free to establish your own. However, you do have a right to demand from your government, to reasonable extents, what you deem as your rights as everybody has a right to equal representation.

The government money is also Muslim, Christian, and every religion's money as they are all citizens of Nigeria. So they have a right to protest when they feel discriminated against in a government funded institution. Not necessarily deserving, but they still have the right to. And that is what they are exercising.

LordReed:


I thought they were protesting the abridgment of their fundamental human rights and as someone on another thread said/implied it also makes it impossible for female Muslim students to go to school since they must wear hijab. Is the implication that the richer ones like having their rights abridged or that they can pay not to wear hijab? Are those female Muslims free to violate whatever Qur'anic injunction mandating hijab simply because their parents have money?

K0ala7:


Religion is a personal matter and is subject to each individual's interpretations of their relationship to their higher power. The decision of some people not to use the hijab does not change the fact that it is a recognized part of most Muslims' faith. You could say the same for a Catholic nun who covers up similar to the typical Muslim woman, that does not take anything away from the catholic who is not a nun and decides to dress as she deems fit. Like I said, subject to personal interpretation.

LordReed:


I think the Catholic nun analogy doesn't fit because while nuns are mandated Catholics are not, unlike Muslims where every female is enjoined.

My main sticking point with this whole issue is this, the students know the rules governing uniform wearing. The injunction compelling hijab was not made "yesterday", why the sudden urge to defy the school uniform rule? And if as you say it is all our money why not seek for the permission to wear a modified uniform? Why this I must have it my way? Another ancillary sticking point is since there were Muslims present when these rules were crafted how come none thought to stand up for the right to wear hijab? I have been around Muslims in my childhood and I don't remember the females wearing hijab at least not the ones my age back then. Is this development a new thing or what?

EvilBrain1:
The way forward is for Muslim students to stop their whining and obey the school rules. Your religion does not entitle you to any special treatment or exempt you from any rules that are binding on others. Your religion is your problem and yours alone, nobody is required to do anything to accommodate your beliefs. This goes double when those beliefs are irrational and don't benefit anyone in any tangible way.

If one religion comes out and says they want to go to school nakëd, are we going to change the rules to accommodate them? What makes Muslim beliefs carry more weight that those of any other religion?

Nigeria is a secular country with secular laws which don't respect any religion whatsoever. If Muslims have a problem with that, they can either try and change the constitution to favour them (good luck with that), or move to a country that recognises their particular brand of superstition like Saudi Arabia, Iran or ISIS controlled Iraq.

LordReed:
I schooled in FGC Sokoto and female Muslims were allowed to wear a scarf instead of a beret and a tunic/trouser combo instead of the standard dress. We never had anyone complain that they were not allowed to wear the hijab. If agreements on what is proper are to be reached then I believe dialogue is the proper course of action rather than confrontation. Now that the court upheld the state's position I hope the participants will consider a sit down rather than a fight.

K0ala7:


I do not think you are capable of holding a serious conversation. I'll leave you with this:

"With regard to stupidity, I have already said it is of two sorts, one natural, the other acquired; the one effect of ignorance, the other of instruction. Now of these two sorts of ignorance or stupidity, which is the most incurable? The latter. The man who knows nothing may learn; it is only requisite to excite in him the desire of knowledge. But he who is falsely learned, and has by degrees lost his reason when he thought to improve it, has purchased his stupidity at too dear a rate to ever renounce it." - Helvetius

LordReed:
I schooled in FGC Sokoto and female Muslims were allowed to wear a scarf instead of a beret and a tunic/trouser combo instead of the standard dress. We never had anyone complain that they were not allowed to wear the hijab. If agreements on what is proper are to be reached then I believe dialogue is the proper course of action rather than confrontation. Now that the court upheld the state's position I hope the participants will consider a sit down rather than a fight.

HFOG:

Sokoto? Two of my siblings schooled there too.

true2god:
Your response is a sign of irrationality in your level of reasoning. Make your point and stop throwing diatribe.

Nigeria is a secular state with muslims, christians, african traditional religion adherents, etc. If muslims start asking for 'special' right to accomodate the arabian superstitutions\religions, that will only lead to more chaos when the christians starts asking for their right too.

One can dress modestly without puttin on hijab, and hijab is an arabian cultural dressings and not even an african way of dressing.

Atimes I wonder why human beings are fast retrogressing in reasoning.

K0ala7:


You ignore all the valid concerns that Muslims have as superstitions, yet I am the one devoid of reasoning. If you cared to read through the thread, you'd have noticed that I was engaging in sane discourse with the fellow above me. Regardless of how superstitious you feel Muslim beliefs are, they have been practicing them for quite a long time. So you should see why they would be aggrieved when they are no longer afforded the opportunity to practice as they have been any longer... But the assumption here is that you are able to comprehend anything you've read so far.

AyindeJamiuK:
Good day everyone,

I has read with kin interest the debate on Hijab from the platform. I must say that the struggle to use Hijab didn't just started, it was some anti-Islamic teachers and principals in secondary school that started it. For those asking about the time, events is what bring about fighting for Laws. The freedom of information bill was fought for recently not because people didn't want freedom of information, but events at that time makes uniform mind to think about it at that particular time.

For your information, Muslims in schools have never been victimized for using Hijab the way we have it in recent time, this is exactly what brought about the case. Hijab is an Islamic moral injunction. The Bible even support it in 1 Corinthian 11:5 "Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is the same as having her head shaved." while verse 4 said the man should not cover his head. Don't Christian females pray while in school.

For the Christians who wish to support the ban for Hijab, please give your reason(s) without being bias, then you will see that you lack morality. The present uniform that is used in school is that given to us by the Christian Missionary, it doesn't befit the Islamic faith. We are not saying that Hijab should be enforce of all students, but just to be accepted for those who wish to use it.

In my concluding words, I must say that Nigeria has been Christianize for a very long time, the present Christians still find it difficult to accommodate other religion, yet they claim some people want to Islamize the country.

EvilBrain1:
The way forward is for Muslim students to stop their whining and obey the school rules. Your religion does not entitle you to any special treatment or exempt you from any rules that are binding on others. Your religion is your problem and yours alone, nobody is required to do anything to accommodate your beliefs. This goes double when those beliefs are irrational and don't benefit anyone in any tangible way.

If one religion comes out and says they want to go to school nakëd, are we going to change the rules to accommodate them? What makes Muslim beliefs carry more weight that those of any other religion?

Nigeria is a secular country with secular laws which don't respect any religion whatsoever. If Muslims have a problem with that, they can either try and change the constitution to favour them (good luck with that), or move to a country that recognises their particular brand of superstition like Saudi Arabia, Iran or ISIS controlled Iraq.