“Over time, I’ve been totally amazed at the depth of bigotry against the hijab from quarters that claim religious tolerance. I often wonder whether virulent opposition to the hijab is a requirement to enter paradise.”
After several years of persecution against the hijab which the Muslim Community *peacefully* fought against all the way to the Supreme Court and won a declarative judgement, an acclaimed human rights lawyer like him should be encouraging society to now allow the sleeping dog to lie, rather than aiming to reignite controversy.
But, we’re in a free society, so he’s entitled to his protest.
Over time, I’ve been totally amazed at the depth of bigotry against the hijab from quarters that claim religious tolerance. I often wonder whether virulent opposition to the hijab is a requirement to enter paradise.
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I hear the arguments about maintaining “uniformity of uniforms.” Granted that the hijab was not a part of the school, hospital, court or police uniforms that the British bequeathed to us, what is wrong in making adjustments to accommodate the wishes of our Muslim brethren if we claim to be religiously tolerant? And to think that the British themselves have accommodated such adjustments to their uniforms for many decades now. Today, the hijab is officially a part of the uniform in many British and American government institutions.
Specifically on hijab for Nigerian school children, I often see groups of girls in my neighborhood going to or returning from school together. Some of them wear the hijab, some wear “beret” caps and others have no head coverings at all. I see them chatting animatedly like the true friends that they are. One can see that these girls don’t care about what anyone of them is *wearing or not wearing.* They’re just happy together! But elders in the society keep mouthing divisive rhetoric about a head covering.
To my knowledge, Muslims really don’t care if the protesting lawyer chooses to wear his traditional dress and amulets to court, as long as the court permits him. But his protest against the judgement of the Supreme Court on the hijab reeks of bigotry fanned by hatred.
Good morning.
Mumuni Alao, PhD, a communication scholar is a Nigeruan veteran journalist
