* Bags degree in Radiography from UNILAG College of Medicine
Years of hard work, persistence, and dedication have later paid off for Ms. Asiyat AbdulKareem, as she graduated from the department of Radiography from the College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL).
Asiyat was among the 25 newly inducted radiographers (class of 2022) at the induction and oath taking ceremony held on Tuesday, July 22, at the College’s Old Great Hall.
Families and friends, including members of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Nasir Giwa Mentorship (NGM) platform, among other Islamic groups, thronged the LUTH/CMUL Central Mosque, opposite the College, to honour Ms. Asiyat AbdulKareem, and other graduates on the milestone.
Muslim News reports Ms. Asiyat AbdulKareem was at the center of the legal tussle instituted against Lagos State in 2012 over the incessant discrimination and assault over hijab.
The suit was later joined by Muslim Students of Nigeria and Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria who eventually flawed the Lagos state government and made history for cementing the right of Muslim girls to use the hijab in public schools and institutions at the apex court after a decade of legal battle.
Asiyat’s radiography journey
What was supposed to be a 5-year course took 8 years for Asiyat AbdulKareem and her colleagues to complete due to the COVID-19 lockdown policy that compulsorily made everyone stay at home and the incessant ASUU strikes that affected many public universities in Nigeria.
Speaking with Muslim News at the induction ceremony, the hijab hero said she feels excited that the wait is finally over, adding that she looks forward to the next phase of her life.
“The next move is internship. It is a one year compulsory programme. Hopefully, I get it at Chevron or anyone that works, because I have applied to other organisations too. After that, NYSC. During internship, there are some compulsory postgraduate certifications that have to be completed. Hopefully, I should get through all of that as well,” she said.
Asiyat told Muslim News that she wants to specialise in radiation therapy, noting she has an interest there she hopes to pursue further.
Sharing few insights on radiography as a course of study, Asiyat said it is a lucrative course that serves like a great alternative for those who do not make it to medicine.
“We don’t really have many people studying radiography compared to some other courses. So, it’s a lucrative course. In radiography, we use x-ray to produce images of the body and other imaging modalities like CP, MRI, and the likes,” she said.
The hijabi said one of her motivations for studying the course was service to humanity, especially fellow female Muslims.
“It’s like a call to help female Muslims especially. As a Muslim, there are some procedures you may want to go through using those imaging modalities like trans-vagina ultrasound in which we scan the female reproductive system and others. Females, particularly Muslim women are likely to feel more comfortable seeing a fellow female serve them.”
Ms. AbdulKareem said everyone needs a strong support system to stand by them during the times of adversity, recalling the massive support she garnered during the hijab legal tussle and beyond.
“A strong support system can never be over emphasised no matter what someone wants to do. We hope everyone gets a support system that will make them stand tall in those times,” she said.
Hijab Rights Advocacy group hails Asiyat AbdulKareem’s firmness
Also speaking with Muslim News, Barr. Mutiat Orolu Balogun, Director, Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative (HRAI), congratulated Asiyat AbdulKareem on the induction ceremony, calling her “an undeniable proof that a girl child does not need to abandon her faith and hijab in order to succeed.”
“We at Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative felicitate our dear sister Asiyat AbdulKareem who as a young child stood firmly alongside her parents for the protection of the rights of Muslim girls to wear the Hijab everywhere and even when they go to school,” Orolu said.
She recalled that it was a legal battle that lasted almost 12 years culminating in the Supreme Court judgement, praising the firmness of Asiyat and her family during those trying times.
“We encourage our dear sister today as she gets inducted as a radiographer to continue to uphold the ethics of patience and integrity, and to perform her duties with diligence and excellence.
“We at Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative remain committed to supporting women and girls to uphold their faith and constitutional rights in order to contribute positively to our society,” she said.
Background information
In 2012, a soft-spoken but determined 12-year-old girl found herself at the center of what would become a landmark struggle for religious freedom in Nigeria.
Asiyat Abdulkareem was a JSS 2 student of Atunrase Junior High School, Lagos, when a life-defining incident occurred. While commuting on a public bus with a friend, she was publicly harassed by a school teacher, not for any wrongdoing, but for daring to wear her hijab over her school uniform. That moment of humiliation would plant the seed for one of Nigeria’s most prominent legal battles over the right of Muslim girls to wear the hijab in public schools.
Raised in a devout Muslim home, Asiyat’s parents were not content to let the incident go unchallenged. They approached the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja to seek redress and assert their daughter’s fundamental human rights.
What began as a family’s cry for justice quickly grew into a state-wide movement. The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, and other Islamic bodies joined the suit, expanding it beyond Asiyat to cover the rights of all Muslim girls in Lagos.
The battle was long and arduous.
On Friday, October 17, 2014, Justice Grace Onyeabo delivered a judgment that dashed the hopes of thousands: the court ruled against the use of hijab in Lagos public schools. Many might have given up, but not Asiyat, and not the Muslim community that stood by her.
Refusing to be silenced, the case was taken to the Court of Appeal. The mission was clear: to overturn the injustice and enshrine the constitutional rights of Muslim girls to freely practice their religion.
While the case dragged through the legal system, Asiyat continued to shine in her academics. In 2016, at just 16, she emerged as the overall best student and best Mathematician at the Lagos State Schools Governor’s Quiz Competition (Season VII). That outstanding performance earned her a position as a one-day commissioner in the Lagos State cabinet under the “One Day Governor” initiative on Friday, July 8, 2016 – ironically, inside the same State House that was resisting her right to wear the hijab.
Years passed, and finally, on Friday, June 17, 2022, victory was delivered.
In a momentous judgment, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled in favour of the use of hijab in public schools, putting an end to a decade-long legal struggle. For Asiyat and millions of Nigerian Muslim girls, it was not just a legal triumph, it was a restoration of dignity, identity, and faith.
Now a graduate of radiography at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL/LUTH), Asiyat Abdulkareem stands as a symbol of courage, resilience, and the power of conviction. Her name has become etched in history, not just as a girl in hijab, but as the face of a movement that stood tall in the face of discrimination.
What began as a single act of harassment on a public bus became a catalyst for generational change. And through the tears, trials, and testimonies, one message rings clear: faith, when combined with courage, can move mountains.
Some of the faces at Asiyat’s induction
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