Hijab ruling: MURIC urges Lagos govt against ego

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged the Lagos State Government to allow the general will take course and not reject the Appeal Court ruling permitting hijab usage in the state’s public schools.

 

Asiyat Abdul Kareem (through her father), Moriam Oyeniyi and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria had won appeal of case CA/L/135/15 against the Lagos State Government on 21st July, 2016 when all the five judges of the Lagos Appeal Court approved the use of hijab in Lagos public schools.

 

The Lagos Appeal Court had Tuesday struck out the stay of execution order sought by the state government which apart seeking a stay of the execution at the Court also approached the Supreme Court to appeal the case.

 

The MURIC Director Professor Ishaq Akintola said yesterday in a statement that the Appeal Court rejection of the stay of execution is bold, convincing and reassuring, as it cements their faith in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

 

"MURIC appeals to the state government to allow sleeping dogs to lie, there is a limit even for official ego. There must come a time when government scoops to allow the general will to prevail. But the law is on the side of the general will this time. A government installed via democratic process cannot afford to disrespect a court judgement. This latest decision is legally binding and Lagos has no choice," Akintola said.

 

He said the honourable path is for the government to instruct the Ministry of Education to tell school principals to allow female Muslim children use hijab in public schools.

 

He added, "Without being immodest, we assure all and sundry that we know our rights. Any school authority who disallows female Muslim students or pupils from using hijab risks being jailed for contempt of court. We have been patient enough. Our children have listened to us. They eschewed violence. They obeyed the rules of decorum.

 

"We want to know how democratic are our democrats? Whether Lagos will respect the courts and allow the students to use hijab as ordered by the court or whether the grandstanding, the stigmatization, the oppression and persecution will continue is left to be seen."