*NIQAB DOES NOT COMPLICATE MATTER*

The past few days have been turbulent for the Muslim students in the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The University management labeling "niqab" as an immoral and lousy dressing has attracted enormous attention to the school. Muslims, particularly the sisters in niqab have been on the spotlight, tongues have raged against them, the good, the bad and the ugly. Everybody seems to be commenting, even the ignorant.

One of these comments is that of a concerned Muslim, the Director of MURIC, who claims to works in the dawah field.

In an article traced to him, he admonished these sisters to delay the use of niqab till after their graduation, citing that where their rights as Muslims begin is where others' start from.

Although he expressed the fact that Nigeria is a secular state, he forgot to acknowledge that fundamental rights of every citizen, that everybody has equal rights: the right or freedom to practice any religion without hindrance or victimization. So, I wonder what informed this statement of his.

Is he opining that ladies that go around almost nude have more rights than those that chose to cover themselves? Or are sisters in niqab less human or less citizens to the skimpily dressed ones, or perhaps, is wearing of niqab part of the ways Muslims exceed the limitations he talked about? These are questions begging for answers from him.

He also called that sisters should stop using niqab because of its security implications. I do not want to assume that the next we would be called to is forgoing another part of our religion, because we want to be security conscious or mayhap seem liberal.

If security is one of the major concerns the institution is raising as the basis of their ban, a well known security measure is the screening of students at entry and exit points of university, in addition to the displaying of identity cards by students. This is the practice in some institutions in the Southwest and especially in the North, where the most stringent security measures are in place.

He also stated that sisters should shun their niqab because the ummah is in need of more university graduates. This logic displayed by the scholar baffles me. Shall we continue to be subjugated in our country because we need to produce more Muslim graduates? Is wearing of niqab an exclusion criteria to attending public institutions or graduating from universities? Or are we advising that these sisters should become second class citizens because they chose to study in a public university that is even funded by our collective resources?

Gone is the era of trampling upon the rights of Muslims, fixing examination times at Jumu'ah period and unjustly victimizing of Muslim students. The world has moved beyond the bigotry displayed by the management of FUNAAB and they should be conscious of that.

The verse of the Qur'an admonishing us to call to the way of Allah with wisdom should not be used as an argumentative reference to becoming mute when one's right is been infringed upon. The moment we fail to speak against injustice is the moment we stop living.

Islam is way beyond the keypads of phones or computers, and obviously not built on sheer rationalization.

Muslim elders should kindly desist from discouraging our youths if they are incapable of encouraging them.

I therefore urge the Muslim students and stakeholders in FUNAAB to peacefully, logically and intellectually engage the school management on this unfortunate matter.

Injustice anywhere they say, is a threat to justice everywhere
Source: www.schoolgossip.com.ng

i think hijab is a unique identifier for muslim women, niqab should be used at home or in a school owned by muslim not in a secular school. i think muslims attack themselves a lot

Can they just leave niqab for now, and go with hijab?
Nobody is trying to make trouble, probably the school authority wants people to be identified facially.
Sisters, just use one that makes your face identified, that's all.

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It's simple just use a hijab, I wonder why someone will come to an institution of learning dressed like a masquerade, and still wants someone else to feel comfortable around her. What are they really hiding if they are not clouded in secrecy. Even Saudi Arabia that owns the religion don't look foolish. The worst part is that the person that wrote that rubbish will call himself intellectual or a scholar after showcasing his stupidity.

This is what religion does to some ppl. Why would you want to bury urself in a clothing that shows only your eyes in a country that is so hot as Nigeria and deprive yourself of Vitamin D which results in problematic child delivery for most Muslim women. I don't think any man has ever gotten an erection from seeing a woman's face. Let me tell you even the bible says that Christian women should cover their heads but we had to rationalize and most churches today decide not to. Prior to bombings and security issues no Christian or Muslim nor Atheist sought to disrupt the practices of Islam. Though we all find it strange but nobody ever raised an issue about it. But today there are security concerns if u say you hv the right to wear Niqab, I also have the right to feel safe. So much impersonation can be done under that thing so pls understand.

Ok, Some people think like shit
Imagine people using the dressing to take a National I'd in some countries, I was like how will you identify this sort of people.

If you are sighting human right as the excuse for allowing it, what happened to the human right of those that dress indecently, don't they have the right too?