Group begins campaign to end discrimination against hijab-wearing women

Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, executive director of Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative (HRAI), says discrimination against hijab-wearing women is a human rights infringement.

Speaking on Monday at a press conference held to commemorate World Hijab Day, she said hijabophobia is an act of oppression against Muslim women.

The conference had as its theme, ‘End Hijabophobia: Don’t Let Our Pride Be Your Prejudice’.

“The case of hijabophobia is not a case of Christians versus Muslims. It is a case between right and wrong, between human rights and those that want to oppress,” she said.

“Basically, a citizen should understand the laws of his country. It suffices for you to know the freedom of thought, conscience and religion is in the constitution. The court has said the wearing of hijab by a Muslim woman is a direct translation of that right.”

Orolu-Balogun said Muslim women are treated unjustly based on their appearance despite the laws put in place by the government.

“We are calling on the government on all levels and regulatory bodies to sensitise their staff, to educate them on how to relate with Muslim women.  Coronavirus has taught us that even with a mask on your face, you can communicate effectively,” she said.

“Even with a mask on your face, you are not a security threat. Why then is a Muslim woman in hijab or niqab a security threat?

“The wearing of hijab by a Muslim woman does not impose an obligation on somebody that does not want to wear it. So, we expect that we are accepted, tolerated, and allowed to thrive in the society like everyone else.”

On her part, Dhikrah Matesun-Oshodi, Lagos district amirah of the Criterion, an association of Muslim women, emphasized the need for sensitisation and enlightenment of citizens about their fundamental human rights.

Advising women to always be confident, she said: “You are who you are, practice it. Work it and walk it. You cannot be in hijab and be another person. Let them see your hijab in you by what you do. Excel in your studies.”