A Muslim group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has submitted its memorandum to the committee on Judiciary and Justice of the House of Representatives charged with responsibility to investigate the circumstances that surrounded the denial of a University of Ilorin Law graduate, Miss Firdaus Amasa from being called to bar.
DAILY POST gathered that the committee was on Wednesday 20th December, 2017 mandated to investigate the matter which has generated a lot of controversy among Nigerians.
The committee, it was learnt was given two weeks for the assignment.
MURIC in its memorandum titled “Memorandum in Respect of Call to Bar Case in the School of Law”, signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola and addressed to the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary and Justice, declared that Hijab was mandatory for Muslim women in the Qur’an.
The group in the memorandum sighted by DAILY POST Thursday morning also restated the provisions of the Nigerian constitution on freedom of religion and respect for the dignity of the human person.
The memorandum also revealed previous court decisions in favour of hijab, including a Court of Appeal pronouncement confirming the right of Muslim women to use hijab.
MURIC then appealed to the House to “Stand up for justice in this matter of infringement of Allah-given fundamental right of a lady who, having satisfied all righteousness in the Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, is being denied her right to practice the law profession on account of her being a Muslim”.
The memorandum also stated that the Law School Hijab crises had brought to the fore the myriad of persecution faced by Muslim women because of hijab in various sectors.
“In the process, thousands of Muslims have been denied international passports, driving licences and national identity cards while millions have been disenfranchised during elections. It is a case of mass profiling of Muslims.
“We therefore appeal to the House of Representatives as the voice of the voiceless and the bulwark against oppression and persecution, to take the bull by the horn by criminalizing the obstruction, denial and stigmatisation of female Muslim women in hijab while carrying out their civic responsibilities like obtaining international passport, driving licence, voters’ registration card, etc”, it said.
MURIC then demanded as follows:
“Immediate ‘call to bar’ for AbdulSalaam Firdaus Amasa.
“A judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the molestation of Muslim students who were forced to remove their hijab on that fateful day.
“Identification and adequate disciplinary measure (or measures) in respect of the Law School female lecturer who stepped on the hijab of Firdaus and debased it by using her feet to rub it on the floor and “kicked it around.
“A review of the code of dressing in the Nigerian Law School as it affects the ‘manifestation’ of religious beliefs.
“A review of the dress code in all professions where uniforms are used such that female Muslims in such professions can use suitable hijab along with the uniform”.
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