Islamic Leaders Beg Ambode, Allow Our Girls Wear Hijab To School

The Conference of Islamic Organisations, CIO, has made a
passionate plea to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state to allow Muslim
girls wear hijab to schools.

The former Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola had banned
t, he use of hijab in all Lagos public schools, forcing the muslim community to
sue the state government over the issue.

But when members of the CIO paid a courtesy visit on the
Lagos Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdullateef Abdulkareem on Tuesday in
his office at the Government Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria they
pleaded for a reserve of the order.

Coordinator, CIO, Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaib said one of the
thing they demanded from Ambode before he became governor was to protect
religious freedom, saying that all over the world, muslim women were distinct
because of hijab they normally wore.

He said when hijab was outlawed in Lagos school, the freedom
of the female Muslims was breached, saying that it was as if government was at
war with the Muslim community.

“This issue is very critical and the Lagos State Government
should look at it critically. Muslims have ways of life which cannot be taken
away from them, which is to use hijab,” he said, adding that even in advanced
countries, Muslims were not restricted from using hijab.

He appealed to the commissioner to prevail on the governor
to allow Muslim girls wear hijab to school.

Shuaib also called for Public Faith Participation (PFP) in
the running of government by engaging Imams to help drive home government
policy to the people using the pulpit, saying that the Imams were closer to the
people and well placed to inform the people about the policies of government.

Pm News