Muslim Group Celebrates World Hijab Day, Calls For Modesty Among Islamic Youths

ABEOKUTA – Reputable Islamic group, Al-Mu’minaat has felicitated with Muslims and Non-Muslims all over the world on the occasion of 2023 World Hijab Day (WHD).

The group called for modesty and understanding from Non-Muslims brethren who detests Muslim women adorning hijab, seeking that legislation is made to specifically criminalize discrimination, harassment, molestation and persecution of Muslim girls and ladies on the use of religious head cover (hijab).

The Amira, Al-Mu’minaat (The Believing Women) Organization, Egba/Yewa zone, Alhaja Sekinat Yusuf disclosed this on Saturday at the annual celebration of 2023 World Hijab Day.

The Amira said the World Hijab Day should not be seen as a celebration but a commemoration to show that hijab is beyond culture or mere head scarf but an injunction to the believing Muslim woman to live her life in accordance to the dictate of Her creator, Allah.

“We reaffirm the scriptural basis for the adornment of Hijab by Muslim girls and ladies as contained in Glorious Qur’an 24 verse 31 which says “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof. That they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty”.

She said this is important because many Muslim ladies are subjected to various ridicules, intimidation, harassment, frustration and even beating by non-tolerant colleagues, bosses, neighbors and offices especially government officials because of dressing in line with their faith.

According to her, in Nigeria, despite its multi-religious status, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in section 38 sub-section 1 as amended guaranteed that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance’’.

She, however, called on the Muslim girls to be modest and display good moral character while wearing the Hijab.

“This programme have been in existence 10years ago, it normally comes up every 1st of Feb, we have did a lot of programmes to celebrate it, to sensitize our people on how to use hijab and the ethics of hijab, so they will know what to be doing with hijab at the right time and with the right things.

“The advice I can give to the young sister is imploring them that they should try as much as possible of making use of the hijab, as an hijabee, there are so many things that is attached to the hijab, hijab is a thing we need to use in other to purify us.

“We know so many people have been using hijab today, one thing that should be behind it, is knowing the knowledge of what they are using. We want to implore our female youth, they should try as much as possible to be modest in their hijab to have good moral characters in thier hijab.

“As we know, they are covering the head not the knowledge. Anywhere they find themselves, they should try to be a real good model.”

Also speaking, the wife of Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Olori Khadijat Matemilola urged the Muslim girls to be courageous and not to hide their identity.

Olori Matemilola urged the Muslim girls to be decent and appear neatly with their hijab to serve as reference for other religious belief.