After UI’s International School hijab verdict, what next?

After a six-year ineligible tussle connected the constitutionality and legality oregon different of wearing hijab by pistillate Muslim students astatine the International School, Ibadan (ISI), University of Ibadan, an Oyo State High Court sitting successful Ibadan, gave a verdict connected May 22, 2024.

Going down representation lane, the situation that led to the ineligible fireworks started successful November 2018. In a bid to workout their state of religion, parents of immoderate Muslim pistillate students wrote to the schoolhouse absorption informing that “our girls volition commencement utilizing hijab since is not contradictory to the schoolhouse rules and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The parents nether the aegis of ISI Muslim Parents’ Forum had tendered their request that consenting Muslim girls should beryllium allowed to usage the caput scarf (hijab) successful enactment with their spiritual belief.

The group, past led by its Chairman, Alhaji Abdurrahman Balogun and the Secretary, Mrs. Bilikis Badiru, argued that determination were 2 existing Court of Appeal judgments affirming that the usage of hijab is a cardinal close successful Nigeria nether the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dissatisfied with the mode the substance was handled by the ISI Board and absorption of the premier university, not less than 11 pistillate Muslim students, their parents and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) dragged the school, the University of Ibadan, and immoderate main officers of the instauration to court.

The lawsuit was instituted astatine an Oyo State High Court. Some of the students were: Faridah Akerele, Aaliyah Dopesi, Akhifah Dokpesi, Raheemah Akinlusi, Iman Akinoso, Hamdallah Olosunde, Aliyyah Adebayo, Moriddiyah Yekinni, Ikhlas Badiru, Mahmuda Babarinde, and Fareedah Moshood.

Giving the details of however the contention started, Balogun, a parent, explained that it was a agelong travel that predated their struggle. He stated that aft trying each options to workout their rights but each to nary avail, the parents headed to tribunal arsenic a past resort.

Balogun said: ‘’It was a agelong travel that predated our conflict and we had nary prime but to play our ain part. Permit maine to instrumentality you down the representation lane connected however we got to wherever we are today.

“Our signifier of the travel commenced via a missive dated 29th October, 2018, intimating the International School, University of Ibadan (ISI), astir our daughters’ volition to freely explicit their God-given and constitutionally sanctioned rights to usage the hijab arsenic portion of their schoolhouse uniform. We were duly informed by our predecessors that immoderate efforts had been made successful the past, done correspondences from acrophobic Muslim parents, connected the request for the schoolhouse to beforehand inclusion and diverseness expected of a existent planetary schoolhouse by allowing consenting pistillate Muslim students deterioration the hijab arsenic portion of their schoolhouse uniform, but the correspondences were ne'er acknowledged by the schoolhouse authority.

‘’Our method was truthful unsocial due to the fact that we ensured that the receipts of our letters were acknowledged by each concerned. Consequent upon the inability of the ISI Board and Management to toed the enactment of honour successful respect of our notice, we embarked connected our 2nd enactment of enactment by ensuring that our daughters appeared successful schoolhouse connected 12th and 13th of November, 2018, wearing their hijabs.

‘’In effect to the look of these rights, the schoolhouse authorities refused to behaviour classes for the students. In fact, connected 14th of November, the schoolhouse absorption decided to harass the Hijab-wearing girls, sent them distant from classes and incarcerated 8 of them successful the schoolhouse room nether the watchful eyes of the schoolhouse information unit passim the schoolhouse period.’’

And the Verdict 
AFTER years of backmost and distant and amendment of the case, the tribunal delivered its judgement .The court, presided implicit by Justice Moshood Ishola, gave the judgement on  May 22, 2024. The justice said helium based his judgement connected erstwhile tribunal judgments astatine the Supreme Court, holding that ISI, arsenic a nationalist institution, should let pistillate Muslim students the close to deterioration hijab.

Ishola pointed retired that the schoolhouse does not person the close to contradict the students their cardinal quality rights. The justice said helium based his full verdict connected the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and different charters, which assistance state of religion and association. He said: “The school, staff, oregon its agents person nary close to punish students for utilizing hijab connected the schoolhouse premises oregon extracurricular the schoolhouse premises.

“Fundamental quality rights are inalienable rights and cannot beryllium taken, adjacent by the almighty government. The schoolhouse is simply a nationalist institution.”

Meanwhile, reactions person continued to way the judgment. Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), done a connection issued by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, described the court’s pronouncement arsenic profound, cerebral and arcane.

Akintola said: “History was made erstwhile the State High Court 6 sitting astatine Challenge, Ibadan. This is simply a monumental judgement coming from Ibadan, the bosom of Yorubaland. It is simply a crippled changer. It is our anticipation that our Christian neighbours, overzealous civilian servants and recalcitrant teachers volition respect this judgment.

“In immoderate case, MURIC volition not basal akimbo portion Muslim children are taxable to amerciable instructions peculiarly those that encroach connected their rights arsenic Muslims. We are afloat prepared to amass incontestable grounds against anyone who molests Muslim students. It is nary longer concern arsenic accustomed for spiritual fanatics among schoolhouse teachers, conscienceless authorities officials and Muslim haters.

“The alleged merchants of ‘tolerance’ find it hard to tolerate the Muslim headscarf unless the Muslims spell to tribunal archetypal to combat for their civilian liberties. At agelong last, triumph has travel to the Muslims. Triumph is sweetest erstwhile served cold. There is nary scintilla of uncertainty that the triumph successful this tribunal judgement aft a play of six years has laid successful the acold agelong enough.

“Where volition the oppressors tally to now, peculiarly since determination is simply a favourable Supreme Court pronouncement connected hijab? If they tally to the sea, the oversea volition beryllium boiling. If they tally to the mountains, the mountains volition beryllium falling. Whither runneth thou, ohio Herod?” He said. Also, the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) rejoiced with the Muslim pistillate students connected the victory.

According to Disu Kamor, the Executive Chairman of the group: “It is disgraceful that a centre of higher learning similar University of Ibadan would let its secondary schoolhouse go a harmless haven for Islamophobes, peddling unfastened favoritism against young girls simply due to the fact that of a portion of cloth connected their head, worn arsenic a spiritual obligation.

“This bittersweet occurrence is simply a bittersweet reminder that immoderate radical embedded successful our acquisition assemblage are much funny successful promoting hateful and discriminatory policies against Muslims and the Muslim formal codification astatine a clip that our federation needs wide absorption successful teaching morality and decency arsenic halfway values to our youth.

“We anticipation that the ineligible accomplishment successful the High Court judgement successful Oyo State, deriving its ruling from a Supreme Court determination connected this matter, volition make a inclination and lessons that volition beryllium adopted by those acrophobic arsenic each Nigerians are guaranteed adjacent information successful nationalist life. The existent trial of a ideology is not successful what is said successful the Constitution alone, but besides successful however it functions connected the ground.’’

Also reacting, Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who is the Chairman of International School, Ibadan (ISI) Muslim Parents Forum, said the verdict was an extremity to a signifier successful a long-drawn conflict betwixt state of spiritual look and bigotry successful the guise of secularity and shallow convention.

Balogun said: “This judgement is memorable successful each ramifications. It is an extremity to a signifier successful a long-drawn conflict betwixt state of spiritual look and bigotry successful the guise of secularity and shallow convention.

“This triumph is simply a testament to the information that Allah is ever with those who basal connected the way of the truth. It is besides a grounds that the tribunal is inactive the anticipation of the communal man. We judge this triumph with each solemnity. It is six years late. The youngest among our daughters who partook successful the conflict arsenic JSS 1 students are present successful their last twelvemonth successful the school. However, it is simply a saccharine triumph implicit falsehood and oppression.’ ’

While calling  connected each Muslim girls presently successful the schoolhouse to freely bask their rights arsenic affirmed by the tribunal by wearing their hijab to schoolhouse without immoderate fearfulness of molestation, Balogun charged the authorization of ISI to respect the pronouncements of the tribunal and debar immoderate enactment of subjugation to consenting students.

He added: “We hereby telephone connected each Muslim girls presently successful the schoolhouse to freely bask their rights arsenic affirmed by the tribunal by wearing their hijab to schoolhouse without immoderate fearfulness of molestation. We besides telephone connected the authorization of ISI to respect the pronouncements of the tribunal and debar immoderate enactment of subjugation to consenting students successful regarding the usage of hijab, arsenic a liable organisation.’ ’

After this unfavourable judgment, would ISI and UI entreaty the verdict? The assemblage is yet to authorities its adjacent enactment of action. The enactment of the instauration was not categorical connected the adjacent step.

When contacted, the UI’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), who doubles arsenic Chairman, Board of Governors of the school, Prof. Aderonke Baiyeroju, said: “No response. I said nary response’’. When the  DVC was asked if her remark meant the assemblage would not instrumentality immoderate step, she said: ‘’I didn’t accidental we are not taking immoderate step.’’