"There are some situations one simply cannot be neutral about, because when you are neutral, then you are an accomplice. Objectivity doesn't mean treating all sides equally. It means giving each side a hearing." - Christine Amanpour.
These were the feelings witnessed today at the peaceful mass protest staged by the Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit against assault, maltreating and victimization of Muslim Sisters using Hijab in secondary schools.
"We are here to peacefully register our displeasure over the dehumanization, victimization and molestation of our female members by some principals and administrators in some public schools regarding the issue of hijab, which amount to gross abuse of our fundamental human rights", said, Sulaiman Dhikrullah, the leader of the students, that led the protest to the Lagos State Government House, Alausa, Ikeja Lagos.
Muslim students across the state raised their pens, voices and banners to collectively condemn the discrimination of hijab, the religious symbol of the Muslims, calling on Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola to relieve with immediate effect the appointments of the principal of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Metta, Mrs. E. C. Ukpaka for allegedly flogged a JSS 1 student, Aisha Alabi 43 strokes of the cane.
At exactly 8.00am on Thursday, February 28, 2013, thousands of protesters, who were mostly Muslim students from secondary schools and higher institutions across the state started to gather at the Alausa Secretariat Central Mosque in numbers. By 10am, they marched peacefully to the Governor's Office with banners and placards declaring ''My Hijab, My Right'', "Muslims Say No To Oppression", "Stop The Victimization, Stop The Harassment, Stop The Hatred", ''Hijab is Our Right, says Nigeria's Constitution”, among others.
They also chanted solidarity songs in support of hijab as they demanded to see the Governor.
The demonstrators were however stopped from gaining entrance to the Governor's Office right from the gate by fully armed policemen, who insisted that the aggrieved students would not be allowed in. It took more than an hour before Hon. Mohammed-Bello Oyinlomo Danmole, Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, who said the Governor was on official assignment in Maiduguri.
According to him, the Governor wasn't aware of your coming. He didn't receive letter of appointment in respect to your coming. Hence, the Governor is on another official assignment outside Lagos. But we wouldn't say because the Governor is not around, we won’t attend to you.
He therefore requested that the protesters send their leaders for a closed-door meeting, an offer they collectively turned down.
Speaking on behalf of the Muslim students, the Coordinator of Council of Higher Institutions (COHI), Luqman Edu said, "No! No!! No!!! No close door meeting and we are not going to leave until we see our Governor. He's our Governor, we voted for him and now, he has refused to come out."
Several efforts by the government officials, including Special Adviser on Religion Affairs, Hon. Abdul Hakeem Kosoko to persuade the students proved abortive as they demanded for justice.
After waiting endlessly for nine hours, the Governor didn't show up. The protesting Muslim students however finally agreed to hold discussion with the government delegation after several persuasions that the Governor is not around.
At the end of the talks which lasted almost two hours, it was agreed that the government would address all the demands of the MSSN within seven days. On the two principals, who maltreated the female students, the government said the issue is already been attended to and action would be taken. On the demand to make hijab part of uniform in Lagos state, it was said that the issue would be tabled before the State Executive Meeting on Monday, March 4, 2013 where final decision would be made on it.
Addressing the protesters at the end, leader of the protest, Sulayman Dhikrillah, warned against reneging on the agreement reached.
The memories of today's protest would linger on as the protesting Muslim students observed Solatuz-Zuhr and Salatul-‘Asr at the demonstration ground (in front of Lagos State Governor's office). They raised their voices louder as they dedicated the evening Adhkar Al-Mathuraat to the course, warning, “this should be the last time that Muslim sisters would be molested for exercising one of their Fundamental Human Rights.”
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