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Christians and Muslims have been slugging it out over a court ruling that favoured the use of hijab by students of public schools
– Appeal court says the purported ban on hijabs in Lagos is a violation of fundamental rights of students
– Students reportedly made this case on behalf of the students who felt offended The ban on the use of hijabs in Lagos state schools has been removed, Daily Trust has confirmed
. According to reports, the court of appeal in Lagos state set aside the judgment of a Lagos state high court which had banned the use of hijab in the state’s public primary and secondary schools. The judgment stated that the ban on the hijab is a violation of the fundamental rights of the Muslim students, with Justice Modupe Onyeaboron (of the state high court) had in October 17, 2014, dismissed a suit filed by Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in the state over the same issue.
MSSN in the suit, explained that two 15-year old students expressed their discomfort with the ban which they claimed violated their constitutional rights to freedom of thought, religion and education. It was gathered also that the prohibition of hijab over school uniforms within and outside the premises of public schools was not discriminatory in any way. And since the decision did not favour them, the students decided to file an appeal, which has been reportedly ruled in their favour. Meanwhile, in Osun state a high court has thrown away a suit filed against the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on the basis that the association had instituted a stay of execution at the Court of Appeal of the June 3 judgment which allowed Muslim students freedom to wear hijab approved by the state government to public schools. The Christian association made this known on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Jide Falola of an Osun state high court. Justice Jide Falola, who abandoned the on-going judicial recess to attend to the case due to its importance, gave a brief ruling in which he struck out the case on the argument that the state Christian community had approached the appellate court to sit on the matter.
Source: www.naijadole.com