Al-Mu’minaat (The believing women) organisation has urged Muslim women not to allow the health challenges, socio economic problems, unemployment and insecurity bedeviling the society to affect their moral uprightness as there is always opportunity in every situation.
The group also expressed displeasure over various assault against Muslim women, who are exercising their inalienable right.
“We use this medium to condemn various intolerance against Muslim women, especially against the use of Hijab in secondary and tertiary institutions across the country, as the body will always take a stand against religious intolerance and Islamphobia.”
Speaking during the group’s 2021 national convention, themed ‘Dynamics of Societal Reformation’, where the national executives of the organization gave the report of their stewardship in the last one year to the stakeholders and executives of the lower chamber of the organization, the National Ameerah, Hajia Nimatallah Abdquadri advised Muslim women to take advantage of the socio economic reformation which the emergence of the pandemic brought to the world, as the reformation came with numerous positive opportunities.
“Muslim women should rely on Allah and be conscious of their religious duties. Reformation is dynamic with the advent of COVID-19. This is a calling from Allah to Muslim women to take charge of their duties and responsibilities in the society.
“I encourage Muslim women to live by it, find a way round it so that they will be able to discharge their duties and responsibilities as obedient servants of Allah.”
She urged Muslim women to be prayerful and desist from the act of extravagance as today’s economic situation is hitting hard on every household.
“We should learn to adjust financially and structurally to the economic situation of the country and live according to our means. Stop comparing your family with that of your friends and relatives. Endeavor to cut your cloth according to the material available.”
She added that the primary role of women in the family is child upbringing and women should endeavor to prioritise it, as deviation from the role can result in collapse of the family structure.
“We should be conscious of our primary role which is child upbringing, though we may face some challenges today, but tomorrow we will reap what we sow.
“This children will grow up and they will pay us back and take good care of us. If we refuse to make sacrifices to take care of them today, tomorrow, they will not be merciful to us. Performing our primary roles will offer us a peaceful and harmonious society to live in.”
She condemned the act of using hijab for beauty pageantry, fashion parade and others as the doctrine and principle of Islam frown at it, noting that the hijab represents the heritage of Islam and a symbol of virtue righteousness.
“People need to know that hijab is an injunction of Allah to cover our beauty, not for beauty display. Today, a Muslim woman emerged as Miss Nigeria. Hijab is not for that; it is meant to cover our nudity and awrah. In essence, I want the whole world to know that it is not expected of a Muslim woman in hijab to display her beauty or ornament, not to talk of going for beauty pageant with hijab on her head.”
The guest speaker, a director with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Hajia Bushrah Shafi urged Muslim women to adjust to the new normal as the world cannot go back to its former self.
“There is no gainsaying, we are going through a lot of changes in our society today. Most especially the health challenge that is posed by COVID-19. It has brought both negative and positive changes to our life.”
She added that with the advent of the pandemic, there are various opportunities Muslim women can leverage such as academics and skills acquisition with the aid of media tools.
“The pandemic has opened up a lot of opportunities. Right now, you can obtain a diploma, degree online from even schools abroad right from the comfort of your homes. These are parts of opportunities the COVID-19 has reawakened us to.
“Even business wise, there are numerous opportunities. In those days, our means of buying and selling were hawking, going to the market to sell to customers. But now we have online marts where you sell and get such things delivered to the buyers at the comfort of their homes. This new technology has brought a lot of positive opportunities to us.”
She advised Muslim women to take adequate precautions to protect their families from COVID-19 as the pandemic has come to stay.
“Positively, the pandemic has brought a lot of changes to us and as women we are expected to take advantage of these changes to perfect our lives as mothers, wives, daughters, workers and administrators.
“By now we should be certain that COVID-19 has come to stay, so we should be ready to get used to all its precautions the same way we treat and manage malaria, high blood pressure, by taking all necessary medications prescribed by the government, World Health Organisation (WHO) and continue with our lives.
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