• Go beyond sanction, de-register erring centers – Hijab rights group
• Educational institutions, exams bodies must do more to protect hijab-wearing Muslims – MPAC
Barely a day after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) sanctioned some of its members of staff over harassment of students using the hijab, another case of violation of Muslim candidates’ rights has been recorded.
Muslim News gathered that the officials of Duntro High School, Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Lagos, on Monday, April 22, harassed some Muslim students and forced them to remove their scarves (skull caps) before they could be allowed to sit in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which began on Friday, April 19, nationwide.
When contacted, the officials at the JAMB accredited center said they were only informed by the examination body to permit students using hijab, adding that the directive didn’t include students using headscarves or skull caps.
The Amir (President) of Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Itire-Ikate Area Council, Mallam Elias Adeyemo, who led some of his members to the center, confirmed the development to Muslim News.
According to him, “Today, Monday, 22nd April 2024, I led some members on a voluntary monitoring of compliance to the JAMB directive on Hijab to Duntro High School, Oremeji, Ijeshatedo, Lagos.
“While monitoring, we observed that candidates in hijab were given free access into the exam hall. However, we noted that other candidates using scarf and skull caps were denied access. Before the team could approach the security agents on duty, the parents of the candidates had asked their children to remove the head covers due to the panic of them missing the exam.
“It is worthy of note that some of the candidates use the hijab as evidenced in their photocards, but due to fear of being victimized, they had to use the skull cap. Unfortunately again, those who use hijab were allowed, perhaps due to the latest directive from JAMB while those who changed to scarf or skull caps were denied and forced to remove it.”
One of the victims, Sadallahi Ameedah, a student of Ansar-Ud-Deen Girl High School, while speaking with Muslim News, said she was prevented from entering until she removed her scarf.
“I feel so sad about it because this is the way I dress”, said Ameedah who also showed us her JAMB slip where she was wearing a skull cap on a school uniform and scarf on mufti in the two passport photographs.
Hijab harassment at Ogun center
Another Muslim student, Haliyah Sheriffdeen also shared her ordeal at another JAMB accredited center, Peakan International School, Ikenne, Ogun state where she and other female candidates were subjected to harassment by overzealous officials which led to the removal of their hijabs.
Muslim News learnt that Haliyah also took the UTME examination on Friday, the same day Aisha Tiamiyu was also forced to remove her hijab at Bafuto Institute in Lagos.
The overzealous officials were later sanctioned by the examination body.
Haliyah told Muslim News that she resisted when the official told her to remove her hijab, adding that, “Sadly, I had to remove it in order not to miss the examination.”
According to her, When we got to the center around 6:47am, the security man was saying the use of hijab wasn’t allowed. We were two that went together. I initially stood my ground. I told him I cannot remove my hijab and he said he would not allow me to go inside. We kept dragging it for a long time that I had to remove it in order not to miss the exam.
“When I entered the hall with my hijab removed, I didn’t see any student using hijab. That means I wasn’t the only one that was asked not to put on hijab. I noticed that because when I finished the exam I saw a lot of girls putting on their hijab back, even some jilbab.
“Muslim candidates putting on scarves were also told to remove it. The security officers said it was an instruction from the school authority”, Haliyah added.
Go beyond sanction, de-register erring centers: Hijab Rights group
The Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, HRAI, has described the latest cases of harassment as worrisome and a flagrant disregard to Supreme Court verdict and JAMB policy on Hijab, thereby calling on the examination body to go beyond sanction but also de-register erring centers.
Speaking with Muslim News, the Director of HRAI, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun said, “Sanctions are part of the measures but might not be enough. I believe that any center where their local staff have turned themselves to instrument of discrimination should be de-registered. They can be handed like 3 years suspension or asked to reapply on terms that they would not engage in such lawlessness and bigotry again.
According to her, they will be the one to apply to JAMB to make them centers yet they are not ready to follow the directives of the board. It used to be a serious matter with those faith based institutions year in, year out until our organisation did something about it. At least, this year, we haven’t heard anything like that from them. Discrimination against women and students who choose to wear Hijab or scarf should not be allowed in our country. Violators should be made to face the law.
Hajia Orolu-Balogun noted that the harassment over the use of Hijab has psychological effects on the students, adding that it may affect their performance in writing the examination.
“What about the psychological harm and torture that has been done to these children? Obviously, they cannot write the examinations in the right frame of mind. A student came prepared to write exam only for her to be told to strip before she could write the exam. Yes, they were later allowed in some cases after several intervention, but the fact that they have harassed is enough for them not to perform.
“That’s why we at HRAI believe sanction isn’t enough, JAMB should do better and I think, those children should be compensated because the harassment can make them underperform and which may lead to them staying at home for a whole year.
The Director of HRAI however commended JAMB for its proactive step, saying that the solution to the incessant harassment of students in Hijab and disregard to apex court judgement is for the examination body to issue official statement on its website and copy all the accredited centers.
“No doubt, JAMB as an institution has over the years been more effective in the discharge of its duties and it has always listened when we complained about issues. But, it’s better for the board to issue an official statement stating in clear terms its policy on Hijab and penalties. All the accredited centers should be copied. It can also be printed on the candidates’ examination slips. They should also make adequate provisions for a secluded place where male officials search male students and female search female candidates.
“The fact is, no matter the garment put on, even if they go naked, there is a way they can hide incriminating materials on their body. So, it’s not because the person is wearing a hijab, scarf or turban. It’s violation of their right to ask students who registered for UTME with her hijab or scarf to ask her to remove it at the center.”
Hajia Orolu-Balogun said the dichotomy created by the officials between the use of Hijabs and denials of scarves or caps are uncalled for, saying that for some students and Muslim women, using of scarves or skull cap is also a form of religious dressing.
According to her, “We’re not domesticating the laws to fit our own local narratives. It is a broad concept for formal events to say that dressing for religious purposes (e.g Hijab) are allowed but accessories aren’t allowed, and they’d classify things like skull caps as accessories. Meanwhile in our own local context, lots of Muslim women that aren’t yet comfortable to wear the hijab wears skull caps or scarves as a sign of their faiths.
“And it is also a form of religious dressing. It is different from what you see in the western countries where skull caps or scarves are fashion items. Usually within local context that although scarves are sometimes fashion items, they’re mostly worn as a symbol of faith.
“Not just Muslim, but also Christian women use scarves, caps, and turbans as symbols of religious dressing. This method of adopting foreign concepts without considering local context must stop. Although some things are universal, they have to be adapted locally.”
As for the parent, the legal practitioner and lecturer at Lagos State University, LASU, said it’s time they sued any center or erring official in their personal capacity for all the psychological tortures done to their children.
“Maybe when they start suing them, they will start taking personal responsibility for their act of bigotry. People should start exercising their right against the centers,” she added.
Educational institutions, exams bodies must do more to protect hijab-wearing Muslims: MPAC
The Executive Chairman of MPAC Nigeria, Kamor Disu, while reacting to the news, declared that discrimination against Muslims wearing Hijab is still a major problem in the country, adding that schools and employers of labour are the worst offenders.
He maintained that educational institutions, examination bodies and employers must do more to protect women in Hijab.
While MPAC commends the swift intervention of the JAMB authorities to prevent the escalation and immediately sanctioned the erring officials involved in the first case involving Aisha Tiamiyu on Friday, April 19th, 2024, it is now most important for JAMB to recognize this criminal behaviour amongst its own officials as a manifestation of Islamophobia present in our society, and as such do more to stop it festering.
According to him, “Discrimination against Muslims is still a major problem in Nigeria, and Muslim women in hijab, being the most visible symbol of Islam bear the brunt of this discrimination most. The cases of Muslim girls in hijab who face repeated discrimination during JAMB and similar national examinations is just a scratch on the surface, as most cases of discrimination against Muslim women in hijab do not make it to the national news. In 2019, MPAC conducted a poll to evaluate the experiences of Muslim women in hijab in Nigeria.
“Out of the total 675 representative entries received across the country, staggering 41% claimed they face discrimination at school, 30% say they face discrimination in the workplace, 22% while receiving public services and 16% at job interviews. 87% of respondents are a mix of youth and adults up to the age of 40. The result of the poll indicated that 4 of 5 respondents experienced discrimination, exclusion or bullying in some form, as a result of wearing the hijab. Most of these incidents happened to Muslim women either in school or workplace. These figures are a sad reflection of how much discrimination, a societal ill, has been allowed to fester in the country and the sad incidents in our examination centres are a reflection of that.
“Because schools and employers are the worst offenders, educational institutions, examination bodies and employers must do more to protect students (and others who are “visibly Muslim”) from discrimination, in order not to hamper their rights to effectively engage and participate in civic life or properly function in the society. Our examination bodies must now recognize and declare the incessant attack on Muslim students in hijab as a manifestation of Islamophobia, for which stiffer penalties must be imposed. It is very good to see the manner that JAMB dealt with the first case reported in Lagos State this year and it is hoped that this will become the standard practice in all cases of discrimination against hijab-wearing students writing their exams.
“Sanctions are very important and effective as a form of punishment for offenders, individuals and the schools, and also as a deterrence to those who may have it in mind to commit the same offense. Beyond this however, there must be sustained and appropriate educational support for all JAMB accredited examination centres to recognise and respect the religious freedom of all candidates, which includes the right to wear religious garb, such as headscarves or hijabs.
“JAMB must ensure that a performance bond of this obligation is signed by all the centres wishing to participate in this national exercise.”
“As Islamic advocacy groups, on our part, we will continue to educate, empower and support students to assert their right to wear their religious head covering outside the home. It is our belief that the best way to defend the right to wear the hijab is to wear it. We will also, provide Muslim women in hijab, or those wishing to adopt it, advisory services and supports when the right is trampled upon, under any circumstances, or when female Muslim employees face harassment in the workplace.
“Attack on hijab continues to contribute to the climate of intolerance and inequality in our society. As such, it is important for all Nigerians that value tolerance, equality, inclusion and respect to confront the challenges posed by this societal ill, such that our nation does not remain an ambivalent combination of contradictory values,” he added.
