Parents of the pupils of the University of Ibadan International School of different religious belief, including Ifa priests, met on Tuesday to deliberate on the hijab controversy, which led to the closure of the school on Monday.

Members of the Muslim Parents’ Forum, chaired by Abdulrahman Balogun, stormed the school around 7am on Tuesday and distributed hijab to willing students hours to the commencement of the emergency meeting of the Parent Teachers’ Association.

At the meeting, which lasted about three hours, parents charged at each other over the controversy generated by the wearing of hijab to school by some of the pupils on Monday.


A university researcher and herbalist, Awosanmi Abe, who intervened during the session, recalled how the principal of the school prevented his children from coming to the school wearing traditional beads, a decision he accepted in good faith.

A parent, Alhaja Basirat Adeniyi, in an electronic mail sent to the Chairman of the PTA, Dr Kazeem Olaniyan, a copy of which was available to PUNCH Metro, described Monday’s action by her fellow Muslim brothers and sisters as diversionary and a deliberate ploy to create division in the school, stressing that the use of hijab should not be tolerated in the school.

A former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, UI chapter, Prof. Ademola Aremu, said as a Muslim, he was not in support of the agitation by the forum for the students to wear hijab, stressing that the elite were only employing religion to divide the nation and turn people away from issues that were germane to nation building and the students’ future.

The Chairman of the Muslim Parents’Forum Balogun, who confessed that he authored the letter to the school authority on the need for Muslim students to wear hijab, was booed and shouted down by some of the parents who attended the meeting.

Balogun and scores of other Muslim parents stormed out of the meeting and vowed to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion.

After Balogun and the others’ exit, the meeting resolved that the status quo should be maintained and called on the management to beef up security on the school’s premises, noting “that wearing of hijab will fan the ember of division and insecurity among students.”

In another report by Premium Times; Reacting to the development, the report stated that the deputy vice chancellor, academic, Mr Aderinto, who doubles as the chairman, Court of Governors of the school, said the jungle approach being used by the parents will not be tolerated.

Mr Aderinto said the school was a private institution and not being run from any subvention from the government.

He said the school had its rules governing dress codes, which all parents agreed to.

The deputy vice-chancellor said he held a meeting with members of the forum on Saturday for over two hours after receiving a letter from the group on November 9.

Mr Aderinto, according to the report, said he was shocked and disappointed that the parents could be frustrating the efforts of the management to restore the glory of the school.

“I am the Chairman of the Court of Governors and I am a proud Muslim. The ISI is a private school. The UI does not fund it. It is funded by the fees collected. It is unfortunate that this is coming up now. Even the Parent Teachers’ Association is not aware of the idea of this group.

“I appeal to these people to stop their action and allow peace to reign in the school. It is even strange that this matter was not discussed at the meeting of the Parent Teachers’ Association headed by another Muslim and lawyer, Mr Kazeem Olaniyan,” he said, according to the report.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Balogun expressed surprise that the school was shut down because of the female students adorned in hijab.

According to the report, he maintained that the forum would continue to forge ahead with its agitation until “our daughters are allowed to wear hijab.”

Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the act of the school.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday morning, the director of the group, Ishaq Akintola, said the ban is an invitation to chaos and a threat to girl-child education.

According to MURIC, Mrs Olowe ‘is a failure in administration. She is out of touch with reality. This principal is retarding the progress of UIIS. She can only be an agent of destabilization to have behaved this way.

“Britain and America are encouraging the wearing of hijab in their schools but here we find a school administrator constituting herself into a clog in the wheel of progress, particularly in the area of girl-child education,” Mr Akintola said.

He said a good administrator will consult parents before taking such a sensitive decision and there are a lot of opportunities for her to do that.

“Religion is a sensitive matter. She must have a hidden agenda otherwise she would not have made such an attempt in view of the proliferation of hijab stories in the news. No school administrator worth the salt will issue an anti-hijab instruction in view of recent events around the country unless such a principal is from Mars or Mercury,” he said.

The Islamic group commended the parents who participated in the peaceful protest at the school gate, noting that peaceful protest is an extension of dialogue where there are grievances to address.

“These parents have refused to abdicate their responsibilities. They have a duty to educate their children and to monitor their progress as prescribed in Qur’an 2:233. They have successfully done that. They also have a duty to protect their children from abuse, stigma and religious discrimination.

The Muslim group also urged the university authority to intervene in order to avoid it escalating to serious issues.

“UI is a centre of academic excellence. The authorities should not allow administrative shenanigans and educational charlatans to turn its International School into a centre for religious apartheid. It is high time UIIS realised that Nigerian Muslims have come of age.”

The group said the school principal, Mrs Olowe should resign “if she cannot tolerate the sight of female Muslim children in hijab because she is going to be seeing quite a lot of them these days.”

https://punchng.com/muslim-parents-diagree-over-ui-secondary-schools-hijab-controversy/

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/295440-ui-international-school-shut-over-hijab-controversy.html

gradually gradually they are encroaching..this parasite must be rooted out once and for all... they want to be caring bombs to school

I don't see anything wrong with the hijab. The school should learn how to tolerate.

This is the change you guys voted for

Private School Abi??

Islam is a religion rooted and established with a string history of violence for no just cause.

As far as I'm concerned, private school entails private and convenient rules suitable for the growth of the institution.

E reach to ask o

bedspread:
I don't understand why Parents have to involve themselves in Unnecessary things!

Is Hijab part of the UniForm?

Does Hijab add to the brains of the girls?

If Hijab is to be used , the parents/Muric should take their case to the Relevant agency.. not planting seeds of Hate and tribalism in little kids...









He even had to Lie on America!!

America and hijab in their schools?? HORROR LIES

It seems you people have something to hide. You keep using the word tolerance as a weapon against the society you intend to islamize. Why can't you go to the UAE and tell them to tolerate others?

Randy100:
I don't see anything wrong with the hijab. The school should learn how to tolerate.

jesutakewe:
It seems you people have something to hide. You keep using the word tolerance as a weapon against the society you intend to islamize. Why can't you go to the UAE and tell them to tolerate others?

Read the following bible portion roman 14:1-4, act 10:2, proverb 16:24, ist corinthian 6:1-4, ist peter 3:8-11, roman 16:7 and jesus you claimed you follow showed tolerance in the following verses; john 8:7, mattew 7:1, and 7:12, luke 9:52-56. Thank you.

Randy100:
Read the following bible portion roman 14:1-4, act 10:2, proverb 16:24, ist corinthian 6:1-4, ist peter 3:8-11, roman 16:7 and jesus you claimed you follow showed tolerance in the following verses; john 8:7, mattew 7:1, and 7:12, luke 9:52-56. Thank you.

My guy , you quoted those bible verses blindly because they have no relationship with the issue at hand.

a when Jesus was asked if it was right to pay government taxes He said "give what is for Caesar for Caesar and what is for God for God" meaning respect the law of the land. He later paid his taxe by asking Peter to go pick money from the mouth of the fish"

As long as the normal schools dress code doesn't have hyjab why fight to include it. When we were in school in those days you dare not wear the kind of sandal that was not the type approved by the school to school. You dare not put a Chain or rosery on your neck , they would be seized and you would be beaten.
The ladies dare not have on the head another hairdo that is different from the one chosen that week.

That is what is called orderliness and discipline.

What are these Muslim parents teaching their wards . To disobey the school authority?

Islam hmmmm.

Smh

daviesblaze:
Private School Abi??

Islam is a religion rooted and established with a string history of violence for no just cause.

As far as I'm concerned, private school entails private and convenient rules suitable for the growth of the institution.

You're a fool

What nonsense tolerance are you talking about? Why don't you ask your Muslim brothers to stop Sharia and be tolerant for once? Or is tolerance only meant for other religions but not islam?

Randy100:
Read the following bible portion roman 14:1-4, act 10:2, proverb 16:24, ist corinthian 6:1-4, ist peter 3:8-11, roman 16:7 and jesus you claimed you follow showed tolerance in the following verses; john 8:7, mattew 7:1, and 7:12, luke 9:52-56. Thank you.

Ocon:
You're a fool

Says the fool calling the wise man foolish

Muric, who u epp?

daviesblaze:

Says the fool calling the wise man foolish