The Supreme Court has approved the use of Hijab in public school within Lagos without harassment or discrimination.
The Judgement was following a decision by six out of the seven man judges panel on the matter.
Among those on the panel were Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice Uwani Aji, Justice Mohammed Garba, Justice Tijjani Abubakar, and Justice Emmanuel Agim.
This is coming after the Lagos State Government had in February 2017 approached the Supreme Court, challenging the July 21, 2016 judgment of the Court of Appeal, reinstating the use of Hijab in public primary and secondary schools.
This was also as A five-man special appellate court panel, presided by Justice A.B. Gumel, had on July 21, 2016, overruled the October 17, 2014 judgment of Justice Modupe Onyeabo of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, which banned the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State.
Justice Gumel described the ban on Hijab by Justice Onyeabo as discriminatory against Muslims adding that wearing the hijab was an Islamic injunction and an act of worship required of Muslims.
Reacting to the judgement, the President of MSSN in Lagos State, Miftahudeen Thanni, applauded the apex court for the Judgement noting that female Muslim students will no longer be punished for wearing the hijab.
He said, ” The judgement simply means that though hijab is not mandatory in Lagos schools, Muslim students who wish to wear it are free to do so and legally allowed.
“We are a law-abiding organisation and we will continue to uphold the law of the land. We applaud the judgement. The position of the law is very clear on the subject matter. This matter once more assures us that all hope is not lost on having a modest society.
“The government should not be waging war against youths who chose to cover their nakedness while encouraging those who walk naked and engage in illicit acts in public.
“It gladdens to see that the injunction which the LASG is using as a basis to deny the rights of Muslim students has been decided by the apex court.
“We hereby urge all stakeholders to be law-abiding for a peaceful implementation of the judgement. There should be no violation of human rights against our students while we expect an immediate implementation of the judgement in all schools across the state. We urge the government not to delay implementation.”
He hailed the Muslim community and the legal team that were part of the victory saying, “We congratulate the entire Muslim Ummah (community) and urge our Muslim students to uphold decency and cleanliness which are the hallmark of Islam while exercising their rights. We also pray to Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the late Alhaji Adetola Kassim (SAN) who started this case without collecting a dime from us.”
