MUSLIM WOMEN: REMOVING OUR HIJABS TO RIGHT EXAM IS UNFAIR

A Muslim women group has claimed that their rights is being infringed on - According to the group, asking them to expose their ear and heads before sitting for national exams or registration is violating their right to cover their body as Muslims women A group of Muslim women under Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative announced on Wednesday, February 1, that their constitutional rights are being infringed on by government and private agencies. The group lamented that most women in hijab had been denied jobs and other opportunities in the country, even when they were qualified for such jobs. Muslim women decry violation of their rights to wear Hijab READ ALSO: Antigraft War: Obanikoro returns N30m, to pay N417m more According to The Punch, the Coordinator of the group, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, said Muslim women in hijab were forced to expose their ears and heads before sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination or getting Bank Verification Numbers. Orolu-Balogun said: “Imagine being asked to take off your shirt because you want to get your driving licence, or being told that you would not be able to vote because you wouldn’t show your cleavage in the picture on your voter card. “These, and worse, are what a Muslim woman who wears the hijab faces when she is asked to take off her hijab before she could be allowed her constitutional rights.” She said the use of hijab was a religious obligation and not an Arab culture that one might discard at will. Another group leaders, Hajia Hafsah Badru, urged the media to demonstrate objectivity in reporting cases related to use of hijab. She said: “Asking a Muslim woman to remove her hijab is a form of violence against her; such should have no place in a progressive society like Nigeria.” READ ALSO: Apostle Suleman: Hate preacher or hero for Christians? (Photos) Meanwhile, in Kaduna, Muslims and Christians seem to have reached a decision to cohabit peacefully. Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani who is a peace ambassador has donated chairs to a church while pastors will also decorate mosques as part of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week. The week which begins from February 1 to 7 is meant to foster inter-faith unity and the two religious groups chose to exchange goodwill to each other in Kaduna.