Date: 2017-02-02

A coalition of women groups, Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative yesterday condemned what they termed continuous discrimination of women in hijab, calling on the National Assembly to make laws against harassment of women in hijab and treat such cases as as violence against women.

The groups comprising Al-Muminat, The Criterion, Muslim Society of Nigeria, MSSN, Federation of Muslim Women? Association of Nigeria, FOMWAN, and Guild of Muslim Professionals, also called for stiffer penalty against government officials who discriminate against women in hijab.

The coordinator of the group, Hajia Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, at a press briefing in Alausa to mark the day, described wearing of hijab as their inalienable constitutional right that must always be protected by government through laws.

Similarly, governments at all levels have been urged to take immediate steps to fill the gap of educational marginalisation being experienced by women.

ýAn elder of Muslim Sisters Organisation, Hahia Mariam Moyosore, gave the charge in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital while delivering a lecture to mark the World Hijab Day, stressing that development schemes by the government should allocate resources to improve the lot of women.

Similarly, the Amirah of Al-Muminat, Hajia Toyyibah Yusuf lamented that Muslim women were being relegated especially when they needed to exercise their civic rights.

Yusuff said Muslim women were suffering social and cultural marginalization, political exclusion, economic discrimination threats and acts of violence which would affect women from reaching their full potentials.