A bill sponsored by the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance and Member representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency, Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi, has passed second reading at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
The bill titled “Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021” was seeking to provide a mechanism for enforcing certain provisions of the Constitution and other international laws that recognises the right of females to adorning hijab in both public and private establishments in Nigeria.
Leading the debate at the plenary, Hon. Saidu declared that the issue of religious discrimination is one of the most prevalent menaces in the country that has hindered national peace, unity and development.
The Lawmaker gave instances where some citizens lose their jobs/employment opportunities, or even outrightly hindered from having access to healthcare, education, finance, employment only on the basis that they profess a religion or that they manifest their religious belief.
He said “In October 2016, a qualified radiographer, Hawawu Saliu Olatunji, was disallowed from partaking in a job interview by the former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of one of the Federal Medical Centers in Nigeria on the ground that she wore a hijab.
Also, on 17th December 2017, Amasa Firdaus was barred from being called to the Nigerian bar only because she adorned a hijab. It took the intervention of the National Assembly and intense advocacy from civil society organisations before she was eventually called to the Bar.
“Nigerian leaders must not be afraid of talking to themselves. It is time we take very bold and courageous steps in provoking a national discussion that will permanently address this religious controversy threatening the foundation upon which the unity of this country was built. This ought to have been settled long before now”.
Hon. Saidu assured that when the Bill is passed into law, “it will address discriminatory conducts and prohibits religious discrimination concerning hiring or recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, it will prohibit qualifying/Professional Bodies, educational institutions, and employment agencies, and other sectors from discriminating against persons, students or personnel based on their religious belief or its manifestation.
The Bill was therefore referred to House Committee on Human Rights for further Legislative actions.
Source: TheNigerialawyer
Sponsored
SULTAN ABDÜLHAMID II,
FRANCE, AND THE UNITED
KINGDOM.
SULTAN II. ABDÜLHAMID,
FRANSA VE BÜYÜK
BRITANYA BIRLEIK KRALLII.
In the late 1800’s, it became
known to Sultan Abdülhamid II
that a comedy play about the
life of the Prophet Muhammad
() was being performed at a
theater in Paris, France. As
the Caliph of all Muslims, this
was an intolerable affront to
Islam that Sultan Abdülhamid
II wanted to put an end to. He
wrote an ultimatum letter to the
French government informing
them that he was intent on
stopping the play. After
deliberating the matter, not
only did the French
government put an end to the
play, they also exiled many of
the actors to the United
Kingdom to appease the
Sultan.
After some time, the Sultan
learned that the same
derogatory play was going to
start being performed in
London. Sultan Abdülhamid II
reacted to this news and wrote
a letter to the British
government with a similar
ultimatum, and informed them
that the play had recently been
prohibited in France. The
British government responded
to the Sultan’s letter by stating
“This is not France. We have
freedom in our borders.”
Upon receiving this letter,
Sultan Abdülhamid II wrote a
fairly aggressive response to
the British and stated: “My
ancestors gave their lives
without hesitation for the sake
and success of Islam. In this
vein, I will decisively prepare
an order to the entire
worldwide Muslim nation
(Ummah) and inform them of
your continued haughty
attitude and persistence in
allowing this disrespectful play
to continue. YOU MUST NOW
CONSIDER WHAT WILL BE
THE OUTCOME OF THIS
ORDER!”
The British, having had
extensive diplomatic ties with
Sultan Abdülhamid II had an
in-depth insight into his
personality. They realized that
his words were not an empty
threat, and immediately put an
end to the theatrical play.
The moral of this story is that once upon a time, the world used to respect the Islamic authority but in modern times, is the situation still the same? Can the Muslim leaders sneeze and the rest of the world catch cold? Wither the Muslim brotherhood and unity.
Hmmmm
May Allah forgive us all
Its not too late to bring the glory back, we need to be sincere and upload our values
Islam demands our absolute sincerity