Hijab controversy: Muslim body threatens nationwide protest

The umbrella body of Nigerian Muslims, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has vowed to embark on a nationwide protest against the Nigerian Law School over its law against the use of hijab.


In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Deputy Secretary General of the organisation, Salisu Shehu, a professor, accused the Nigerian Law School of lawlessness and Islamophobia.

The group threatened nationwide protest and a fierce legal action should the law school fail to rescind its decision of not calling the affected graduate, Firdaus Amosa, to the bar.

“There is no doubt that Abdulsalam Firdaos Amosa has been victimized, humiliated and traumatised by the Nigerian Law School, the Body of Benchers and the Council for Legal Education on account of her faith,” the statement said.

“She has been denied of rightfully joining her professional colleagues just because of her religion. She has been exposed to ridicule and opprobrium by standing for her religious rights. It begs the question that she is not the only Muslim lady among those concerned as no one will stand for her when she appears before her Creator to defend the correctness and otherwise of her actions. We reiterate that she has not violated any law.

“The NSCIA demands that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Justice, call the Council for Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School to order so that they will not stoke religious crisis in the country.

“Our Council patiently waits for what the Ministry will do as it puts other options on the table including litigation and nation-wide protests.

“Those who think they can ride roughshod on the rights of Muslims just because their co-Christian colonialists did it successfully will have to wake up and realise that Muslims are equal stakeholders in this country.”

“Our Nigerian Law School would rather be glued to the archaic tradition of the colonial past being jettisoned by the British themselves and punish a second upper graduate for wearing a headscarf that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees her than toe the path of rationality. Who legislated on professional attires that we cannot question when such attires are inconsistent with our values?

“There is no doubt that Abdulsalam Firdaos Amosa has been victimized, humiliated and traumatised by the Nigerian Law School, the Body of Benchers and the Council for Legal Education on account of her faith. She has been denied of rightfully joining her professional colleagues just because of her religion. She has been exposed to ridicule and opprobrium by standing for her religious rights. It begs the question that she is not the only Muslim lady among those concerned as no one will stand for her when she appears before her Creator to defend the correctness and otherwise of her actions. We reiterate that she has not violated any law.

“The NSCIA demands that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Justice, call the Council for Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School to order so that they will not stoke religious crisis in the country. Our Council patiently waits for what the Ministry will do as it puts other options on the table including litigation and nation-wide protests.

”Those who think they can ride roughshod on the rights of Muslims just because their co-Christian colonialists did it successfully will have to wake up and realise that Muslims are equal stakeholders in this country.

“That the United States of America allows even female military personnel to use hijab and male Muslims to grow their beard as part of their religious rights is worthy of note. If Muslim female police officers in Britain that so desire use hijab without let or hindrance, what is the problem in Nigeria? What is wrong with the Islamophobic Nigerians who assume that Muslims must abandon their religion to co-exist with them in the Nigerian space? How does wearing hijab infringe on anybody’s right in Nigeria? Enough is enough of this chronic hatred and bigoted intolerance! Yours is your religion and ours is ours.”
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  1. Islamophobic indeed. Everything educational in this country had being christened colonial way.
    Therefore anything in contrary is seen as religious extremism.
    Anywhere, state or space that Christians dominated in Nigeria will never recognized Islam talk less of giving the faithful their due right. Plateau state, Southern Kaduna and entire south east are typical examples.

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  2. School's which are Islamophobic are mostly from another faith, but constitutionally Islamic students were backed to perform their religion without hindrances. But if such things happened with a Christian in the north the whole world will carry

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  3. May the Almighty God spare our lives to witness the end of this struggle. This young woman must be apologized to and compensated heavily. I weep for her because she has not done anything wrong and yet she is being punished. It is simply hatred and bigotry. In the western world, people have transformed and gone past isues like this. I am kind of sad and happy at the same time that this is happening. I would think Nigeria is undergoing transformation as their western colonial masters also did. Listen folks, anything that has to do with faith/religion, the world knows that it is no go area. I live here and Muslims or anyone else is allowed to practise and wear whatever they like, in as much it is decent. Haven't you thought that asking a woman of faith to remove her head gear or hijab (decent dressing) in the public is like undressing her? The woman should charge them to court. I don't need to advise her what the charges should be because I believe she knows better as a fresh young lawyer. Bastard set of people. That is how they destroy Nigeria. Asewo (prostitutes) set of people. They would allow and encourage the use of mini skirts even to churches and they say they are good set of people. Look at the children they are raising now. Was that how they were being raised by their parents? They have bastardized everything. This woman must not lose a week over this unnecessary issue. Look at how they are wasting energy, time and resources dealing about issues like this. Nonsense, when Boko Haram, poor economy are there for them to fight. Rubbish. May the Almighty God bless this woman and protect her from evil doers.

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  4. May the Almighty God spare our lives to witness the end of this struggle. This young woman must be apologized to and compensated heavily. I weep for her because she has not done anything wrong and yet she is being punished. It is simply hatred and bigotry. In the western world, people have transformed and gone past isues like this. I am kind of sad and happy at the same time that this is happening. I would think Nigeria is undergoing transformation as their western colonial masters also did. Listen folks, anything that has to do with faith/religion, the world knows that it is no go area. I live here and Muslims or anyone else is allowed to practise and wear whatever they like, in as much it is decent. Haven't you thought that asking a woman of faith to remove her head gear or hijab (decent dressing) in the public is like undressing her? The woman should charge them to court. I don't need to advise her what the charges should be because I believe she knows better as a fresh young lawyer. Bastard set of people. That is how they destroy Nigeria. Asewo (prostitutes) set of people. They would allow and encourage the use of mini skirts even to churches and they say they are good set of people. Look at the children they are raising now. Was that how they were being raised by their parents? They have bastardized everything. This woman must not lose a week over this unnecessary issue. Look at how they are wasting energy, time and resources dealing about issues like this. Nonsense, when Boko Haram, poor economy are there for them to fight. Rubbish. May the Almighty God bless this woman and protect her from evil doers.

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  5. Anonymous @1.10, you must be silly. I am a lawyer in Nigeria having relocated from the UK. There are rules at the Bar and those who want to join the Bar must follow them. We adhered to all the rules in Abuja before we were called (even when we felt they were absurd). In the UK, we went for our lectures during our Legal Practice Course to qualify us as Solicitors however we wanted. We came to Nigeria and we were told to dress like undertakers and we complied. The idiot did not study outside the country to even have any reason to complain, she schooled in Nigeria. She is used to the rules. If she can't adhere to them, she should stay the HELL OUT!!! It is about time we stop this arrant nonsense. Your faith is a personal thing which the constitution guarantees. It is not to be imposed on others. Besides, she should have read the rules before signing up to being at the law school. If that is the kind of home training she got, too bad because her sister dressed appropriately and she was called the same day. If she is looking for a boyfriend because she is that ugly and wants some cheap publicity, she got her wish. As a matter of fact, she should never be called because she has shown she is FIT AND PROPER to join the noble profession. The profession is above religious sentiment and we don't care whose ox is being gored.

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  6. My contribution at 3:38 should have read NOT FIT AND PROPER. I am correcting it here. It shows how incensed I am at the moment

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