By Correspondent in Ilorin.
Dr Habeeba Adam, the former Deputy Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has says that Hijab covering, worn by Muslim women, is not a symbol of oppression but piety.
Adam made the submission on Tuesday in Ilorin during her paper presentation at the World Hijab Day Celebration organised by the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Kwara Chapter.
Our Correspondent reports that the theme of the 2022 World Hijab Day is: “Hijab Our Crown and Not our Crime”.
She recalled that the Hijab Day, an annual event,was founded by Nazma Khan in Feb. 1, 2013, in more than 140 countries worldwide,to encourage women of all religions and backgrounds to wear, experience and appreciate the Hijab.
“It is also to educate and spread awareness on why Hijab is worn, to help address the challenge faced by those wearing the Hijab and to show the world that Muslim women are dressed and not oppressed,” she said.
Adam described the Hijab as the veil worn by Muslim females to cover the head , bosom and the while body, adding that it provided them with both spiritual and physical, peace and harmony.
She emphasised it was not just a code but signified something deeper which accorded female muslims the highest form of respect and status in Islam.
“The Hijab is basically for modesty, but it goes much deeper than just a cloth on your head. It is a symbolic form of worship. Modesty is a very key part of Islamic faith; it is the essence of our faith, so we’re wearing that our heads to represent that worship,.
“A rose protects it’s beauty with thorns” she said.
Adam pointed out that Hijab was not an object of oppression, nor a crime and that discrimination against those who use the Hijab must stop.
“Enduring the silent ban on the use of Hijab in public schools is allowing injustice, Muslim women in Hijab pay Educational tax and their children have rights to go to public schools with their Hijabs on, if they wish to,” she said.
Also speaking in her lecture, Mrs Mutiat Olusheyi, School Counsellor, Lamp Bearers Islamic School Ilorin, postulated that during the pre-Islamic era, the female child was killed and buried alive by the Arabs because of shame perceived from her.
She explained that the advent of Islam emancipated the woman and stopped the infanticide of the females.
“Islma gave economic rights to women to own properties and engage in economic ventures, just as their men counterparts.
“The Hijab transcends material coverings. It encompasses the whole general disposition of the woman and her morality,” she said.
According to her, the Hijab is surrounded by piety and God consciousness, adding that people who use it should not be subjected to ridicule and oppression because of their mode of dressing.
Earlier in her address of address, Hajia Nimat Labaika, the Amirah of FOMWAN , Kwara State Chapter, observed that at this time when hate crimes continue to rise in the society, “it is import to come together, stand in solidarity and speak with one voice in the fight against systemic anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Labaika added that the Hijab day creates awareness about the victimization of Muslim women and girls who wear Hijab for modesty and platform for advocacy.
She appealed to government at all levels to end the increasing assaults on Muslim girls who wear Hijab in their various schools.