Muslims are being cheated – Akintola

Akintola
| credits: File copy

The Director, Muslim Rights Concern, Prof. Is-haq Akintola, insists that Hijab should be part of school uniforms in Lagos. He spoke with ALLWELL OKPI

What is the position of Muslims in this controversy over the use of Hijab by female students in Lagos schools?

Hijab is the fundamental right of every Muslim woman. It is enjoined in the Quran; and in the prophetic Hadith. When a government now disallows a Muslim girl-child from using Hijab, it is child abuse. Section 38 and sections one and two of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, says every man shall have freedom of religion; freedom to manifest and practise his religion. Using the Hijab is part of manifesting the Islamic religion. When a government or any person disallows a Muslim from using his turban or cap or Hijab for a female, the person is denying the Muslim his fundamental right. It’s a violation of the constitution; it is oppression and stigmatisation. What we are telling this government is that let there be liberalism in democracy. Democracy should not be selective. If you want freedom of religion, then that freedom must spread across all groups. When the Muslim girl wants to dress the way Allah commands her, she should be allowed to do so. Nobody has the right to deny her that freedom.

The state government has said it never banned the use of Hijab, so where is the conflict is coming from?

There is conflict. The state government came out to say it did not ban Hijab one week after the pronouncement of the commissioner education, which publicly announced the ban on Hijab at a press conference. Government denied a week later. Though belated, we accept that denial. That does not mean that our women will not have the freedom to wear their Hijab. Don’t forget that because of that Hijab, a school principal caned a school girl named Aisha. The principal gave her 43 strokes of the cane. I think that is barbaric. It is child abuse. I don’t expect that from a school principal, who is expected to be civilised. And I think there is a circular banning the use of cane in public schools in Lagos. The Muslims wrote a petition against the principal and the Lagos State House of Assembly set up a committee on the issue. We submitted a memoranda. We, the Muslim Rights Concern, wrote a petition and the Ministry of Education acknowledged our petition. Nothing came out it. Nobody was interviewed; nobody was invited to the House. And the commissioner came out and said they had consulted widely and had met so many Islamic organisations and that we had agreed that the use of Hijab should be banned. The government has retracted that statement and we accept the retraction. But the fact remains that we will now go further. It is now beyond the girl that was given 43 lashes of the cane to the question of issuing a proclamation. The Lagos House of Assembly should investigate this matter. It should listen to Islamic organisations. And what we are saying is that the Lagos State Government must make a proclamation allowing the use of Hijab and making it part of the school uniform of the Muslim female child. The present so-called conventional school uniforms are not acceptable to Muslims. This is because this uniform was introduced by the colonial masters, the British, who were essentially Christians. If this country belongs to Christians and Muslims together, it follows that our uniforms; our ways, our manners and our laws must reflect the multi-religiosity of this country. If you are using a uniform that the Christians accept, you must also use a uniform which the Muslims accept. Right now, our children are using Christian uniforms imposed on them by the colonialists, despite that fact that Islam came to this country first. Islam has been in this country since 1085. And Christianity was not introduced until 1842. That was a clear 800 years difference. In Lagos, Islam was introduced around 1725 and there were Islamic schools all over Lagos. There is no record that the Muslims fought anybody before they introduced Islam in Lagos. But there is record that the British bombarded Lagos with guns and the people of Lagos ran helter-skelter. Houses were burnt, people were killed by the British. When it was unbearable, the Oba of Lagos surrendered. The British, who were Christians, forced themselves and their religion on Lagosians. Then they introduced their education and their uniform.

In 1894, Lagos Muslims boycotted British schools. They withdrew their children from the schools because they were being taught the Bible; they were being forced to convert; they were being taught Christian history and literature. And their parents said they want the Quran; they want Arabic. When the colonial masters did not listen, they withdrew their children. Within one week, the colonialists found out that there were no children in the schools because all the children were Muslims. We don’t want it to get to the level where the Muslims in Lagos would have to withdraw their children from public schools. In fact that was what the commissioner suggested. She said anybody who wants his child to use Hijab, should withdraw his child and take her to a private Muslim school. That was an affront on Muslims. How could she say that when the Muslims are paying tax? How can the Muslims become third class citizens in their own land? What we are saying is that let the Christians be free and let the Muslims be free. The way it is right. Now, the Muslims are being cheated.

Will the Muslims push for turbans and caps to be part of school uniforms for male students?   

No. We are not getting to that. The Muslim male children are comfortable without the cap. We are not necessarily asking for that. We are concerned about the female students, who should not be stopped from wearing Hijab. By persecuting female students wearing Hijab, they are trying to invite crisis. And in this era of Boko Haram, I don’t think we should start that kind of crisis in the South-West. But the question is: When will Christian teachers learn to tolerate the Muslim child? And when will the Lagos State Government give the Muslim female child her Allah-given right?

There is the argument that the wearing of Hijab, especially the ones the cover that face poses security challenges?

It is a lame excuse. The girls in the secondary schools don’t use that kind of Hijab. The one they want to use only covers the cheeks and their hair. The face is open. When Lagos State Government wants to introduce Hijab, it will be the same material with the school uniform. Every state government is campaigning against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. But why are STDs spreading? It is because of promiscuity. It is because boys and girls are exposed to sex early. Hijab is manifestation of dignity, modesty and decency.

Don’t you think religion should be taken out completely from public schools as some have suggested?

Now that the Muslims are demanding their right, they are saying religion should be taken out of schools. Religion has been in schools for decades and Muslims have been on the receiving end. It is not right.