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MURIC tasks Lagos government on hijab court order

By Editor
22 February 2017   |   1:00 am
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed the rejection of the stay of execution sought by the Lagos Government, over the hijab saga, describing it as bold, convincing and reassuring.

Hijab

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed the rejection of the stay of execution sought by the Lagos Government, over the hijab saga, describing it as bold, convincing and reassuring.

Director, MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement appealed 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. Afterall, it is the center of excellence,” he said.

The Lagos Appeal Court last week struck out the stay of execution order sought by the Lagos State Government on the right of female Muslim students to use hijab with their school uniforms.

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 state government immediately approached the Supreme Court to appeal the case and also sought a stay of the execution at the Appeal Court.

Akintola said: “The honourable path is for the center of excellence to walk its talk. The state government must instruct the Ministry of Education to tell school principals to allow female Muslim children to use hijab in public schools.

“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. Now the die is cast.

“Muslims have been accused severally of resorting to spontaneous violence even though they have always been provoked. But the case is different this time around. Lagos Muslims went to court instead of going violent and the courts have decided.

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