Will not be ready to engage in any blind arguement here.

Female students being mandated to cut their hairs in secondary schools and primary schools is not new neither is it strange and of course erring students are either suspended or expelled from the school.

Our laws are based on Christain principles if that is the angle you want to look at it because Britain colonized Nigeria just as we may have based our laws on Islam if Iran had colonized us.

Why don't this Shekarau dude face the job of developing Kano, providing quality education and health care, removing almajiris from the streets and providing jobs instead of playing up the sharia card  to score cheap political points.

Now he wants to use sharia to blind his people so he can cover his inability to develop the state, not to talk of  huge sums of federal allocation that will never be accounted for.

The people will be so busy discussing and implementing sharia that they will forget to ask him questions on state accountability. Smart guy   

He is going to keep everybody busy on sharia rather than on road and house development.

Mr Shekarau, or whatever your name is, the people are not so concerned about what they wear on their head. They are more concerned about what they put in their stomach. Could you please focus on that. Thank you .

Afam:

Will not be ready to engage in any blind arguement here.

Female students being mandated to cut their hairs in secondary schools and primary schools is not new neither is it strange and of course erring students are either suspended or expelled from the school.

Rubbish! The reason why anyone would consider that a blind argument is because they refuse to see with their eyes peeled. That is why I offered those options to make it easier for you.

You guys appall me with this roundabout doublespeak, which does nothing more than confirm the al-taqiyya in the Muslim North! So, anything that is not Muslim automatically becomes CHRISTIAN in your eyes, yes? What has the politics of Britain's colonization have to do with issues affecting us as a collective people under one identity as Nigerians?

It is always very interesting reading from Nigerians that use their limited level of understanding as a yardstick to judge what is right or what is wrong.

Any reasonable human being will agree with the statement that the Nigeria law and legal system is based on the system in Britain (A christain country) and that if a moslem nation had colonized Nigeria that sharia or Islamic legal system will most likely have been put in place.

But are we all reasonable? Certainly NO.

Afam:

It is always very interesting reading from Nigerians that use their limited level of understanding as a yardstick to judge what is right or what is wrong.

Any reasonable human being will agree with the statement that the Nigeria law and legal system is based on the system in Britain (A christain country) and that if a moslem nation had colonized Nigeria that sharia or Islamic legal system will most likely have been put in place.

But are we all reasonable? Certainly NO.

Use your intelligence as others to condemn the barbarity of the Kano State Governor's DECEPTION - the intelligence is free, and we don't have to pay tax for that!

The colonization of Britain did not come with laws enacted and called Christian or Muslim dress code! No one was penalized for the way they dressed.

Today, can you tell me what kind of mentality you display to applaud the situation that if I don't dress the Islamic way, then I lose my job?? WHO in the South has lost their jobs over non-compliance to a dress code?  

Suit yourself and continue to debate a very clear issue that religious sentiments and bias won't let you see objectively.

@Afam

I am sorry but "not muslim" does not automatically translate to "christain".

Now get our argument here. We are not angry that a school has chosen hijab as a dress code, but a state Government madating everybody to dress in a certain way is unacceptable.
Come to think of it there is nothing Christain about ladies cutting their hair, I don't remember my mother or sister being chased from the church because she has a long hair.
Even at that rules like that are school based and some schools in the south do actually have their students carry long hair. As a matter of fact their should be more schools in kano with Sharia dress codes since thats the predominant religion over there but the few schools where people  want to dress without the hijab, they should be allowed to do just that.

People should not impose their religion on others, there is nothing democratic about it.

McKren:

As a matter of fact their should be more schools in kano with Sharia dress codes since thats the predominant religion over there but the few schools where people want to dress without the hijab, they should be allowed to do just that.
People should not impose their religion on others, there is nothing democratic about it.

Again you hit the nail on the head. No one is begrudging Shekarau wanting his daughters in sackcloth and ashes but the minority who choose to send their daughters to private schools where the hijab is not mandatory should be allowed to do so. Why should a christian proprietor be forced to adopt the hijab in her school against her faith? That is the question Shekarau must answer and not all this dilly dallying over cutting of the hair.

Gentlemen,

Is the governor mandating all female students to wear the veil or head scarf?

If veil then it is wrong since it is a religous thing.

If head scarf, it could be argued that the state seeks to promote morality or decency.

I still do not see this act as imposition of one's religion on others.

On democracy, if the majority of the people in the state wants something and it is passed into law whether you are happy or not is another matter entirely just like the US creates laws that tend to infringe on the rights of some people especially those in minority.

Again, unless the government is asking all female students regardless of their religions to wear the islamic veil I do not see anything out of the ordinary here.

You guys reside in the US, let me ask you - if you decide to walk around stark naked in the US do you imagine that the government will allow walk around like that even though you may think that you should be free to live your lives the way you like?

Anything that does not kill us only makes us stronger.

Afam

On democracy, if the majority of the people in the state wants something and it is passed into law whether you are happy or not is another matter entirely just like the US creates laws that tend to infringe on the rights of some people especially those in minority.

If you think that is an excuse to legitimise this, I like to also draw your attention to section 1 of the Fedral Republic of Nigeria which talks about the supremacy of the constitution

1. (1) This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

(2) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any persons or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

(3) If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.

On this note I also bring to your attention, section 10 of the same constitution

10. The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.

It can not be more explicit than that.

Elite politicians should show our people some respect and stop diverting attention rather than improving basic amenities. What Shekarua is doing is illegal.
Walking stark naked is in no way in the league of compelling people to wear veil no matter what they choose to call it, whether headscarfe or Hijab. If he is simply offering help in the design of school uniforms then he probably needs to be reminded that he has more serious things to do.

My comments here is that the northern Christians may have since been beaten into submission.
If Danmasani's post represents their views whereby they'll given up their freedom of choice to a Muslim elect without question,he'll never understand where southerners who are more likely to be independent minded are coming from.

Muslim hijab,veil or burqua has no place on Christians in a non muslim school.
Remember when the sharia started they lied of it's limitations.
Now Christian students and Nurses are arousing the muslim men with their hair and knees
This is only the beginning.

babyosisi:

Remember when the sharia started they lied of it's limitations.

That's precisely one of the core issues on this discussion. Why would the Kano State Governor/Government LIE and use DECEPTION in propagating their Sharia code?

McKren:

Afam
If you think that is an excuse to legitimise this, I like to also draw your attention to section 1 of the Fedral Republic of Nigeria which talks about the supremacy of the constitution

On this note I also bring to your attention, section 10 of the same constitution

It can not be more explicit than that.

Elite politicians should show our people some respect and stop diverting attention rather than improving basic amenities. What Shekarua is doing is illegal.
Walking stark naked is in no way in the league of compelling people to wear veil no matter what they choose to call it, whether headscarfe or Hijab. If he is simply offering help in the design of school uniforms then he probably needs to be reminded that he has more serious things to do.

One thing I have learnt in this life is to limit my discussions to issues I have reasonable information on so as to avoid making apologies when it is shown that I do not understand what I may be discussing.

You only reproduced the general section and avoided the areas that specifically dealt with Sharia.

The constitution clearly makes a provision for the implementation of sharia (275).

http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm#ShariaCourtOfAppealOfAState

I will say my last words in this post. If indeed Kano state governement through Shekarau is imposing THE HIJAB, an Islamic dress code on every school girl in Kano state, then that is a step backward and I'll assure you that it will NEVER sail thru!
If as i have argued that he seeks to make every school girl wear a VEIL to cover her hair in public, then i see nothing wrong in that, I do not owe an explanation to anyone for that, I do not feel any shame/remorse for that and i believe it to be a right he has as a caretaker/financier of the school and state in general!
Thank You

Danmasani:

I will say my last words in this post. If indeed Kano state governement through Shekarau is imposing THE HIJAB, an Islamic dress code on every school girl in Kano state, then that is a step backward and I'll assure you that it will NEVER sail through!
If as i have argued that he seeks to make every school girl wear a VEIL to cover her hair in public, then i see nothing wrong in that, I do not owe an explanation to anyone for that, I do not feel any shame/remorse for that and i believe it to be a right he has as a caretaker/financier of the school and state in general!
Thank You

I Pray Its Your Last Word, Because This Thread Would Be More Coherent Without It.

Now Lets See How Honorable U Are In Keeping To Your Words

Danmasani:

If as i have argued that he seeks to make every school girl wear a VEIL to cover her hair in public, then i see nothing wrong in that, I do not owe an explanation to anyone for that, I do not feel any shame/remorse for that and i believe it to be a right he has as a caretaker/financier of the school and state in general![/b]Thank You

1. Shekarau is NOT the caretaker/financier of private schools, what right has he to impose his beliefs on them?

2. What is Shekarau's motive for enforcing the veil/hijab on every school girl including my christian daughter? Morality and decency?

3. It is good to talk about Shekarau's "right" to enforce veil wearing in his state, perhaps it will not be hypocritical to take a look at the "rights" of those of different faiths to which wearing of the hijab is alien.

Afam:

If head scarf, [b]it could be argued that the state seeks to promote morality or decency.

In what way is the state seeking to promote morality or decency? The same state wear corruption and election rigging is rife? Are all the girls in lagos morally loose or indecent since they dont all go about in scarves? Does it take veil wearing to prove decency?

Afam:

Anything that does not kill us only makes us stronger.

that was the way sharia law was smuggled into the constitution overnight!

Its so unbelievable that our President keeps quiet about this.
I think the people of Kano need to learn from others- even their fellow muslims of other states- to tolerate the religious inclinations of others,
Or could I be wrong about this?

davidylan:

In what way is the state seeking to promote morality or decency? The same state wear corruption and election rigging is rife? Are all the girls in lagos morally loose or indecent since they don't all go about in scarves? Does it take veil wearing to prove decency?

If it is even possible to enforce a certain level of decency in the way our girls dress in Lagos I wouldn't mind, our society is getting morally bankrupt by the day to the extent that even mothers basically dress half naked all in the name of fashion even to church.

These days it seems the only things we don't see when some girls dress are the nipples and the undies and it is really disgusting.

davidylan:

that was the way sharia law was smuggled into the constitution overnight!

I do not know when or how sharia was smuggled into the constitution. Maybe they needed to balance the constitution since it was originally based on Canon law which basically is christianity based in my opinion.

Julez:

Its so unbelievable that our President keeps quiet about this.
I think the people of Kano need to learn from others- even their fellow muslims of other states- to tolerate the religious inclinations of others,
Or could I be wrong about this?

There is nothing the president can do because the constitution has already made provisions for this.

I still maintain that our senators missed a golden opportunity to rememdy a lot of problems in our constitition when they threw away all the proposed amendments all in the name of stopping 3rd term.

Afam:

If it is even possible to enforce a certain level of decency in the way our girls dress in Lagos I wouldn't mind, our society is getting morally bankrupt by the day to the extent that even mothers basically dress half naked all in the name of fashion even to church.

These days it seems the only things we don't see when some girls dress are the nipples and the undies and it is really disgusting.

That is true but can we begrudge them their rights to freedom of expression simply because their obscence dressing offends us? What Shekarau should be more concerned with is how to ensure those girls have decent jobs, provision of good roads and other amenities of life. It is not enough to force a hungry girl to wear a hijab.

Afam:

I still maintain that our senators missed a golden opportunity to rememdy a lot of problems in our constitition when they threw away all the proposed amendments all in the name of stopping 3rd term.

Just forget those senators, they do not represent us but their pockets!

@Afam, I tried reading everything u said but i saw u decided to see it on a fair game basis cuz i can be 95% sure dat u'r not a muslim cuz ur name sounds igbo. We shouldn't discriminate but the muslims in the north is trying to turn our country to either saudi or iran which is not going to work. There should be respect afterall the radical muslims in the north is definately trying to undermine our unity by trying to make all the students wear a veil when u'r not muslim and u talking as if u were going to embrace such ideas if u were schooling in the north. If we don't stop it now believe it is soon going to apply to who ever steps in to the state, works in the state, etc or u get jail term or some other form of punishment. I just hope that it doesn't come to light cuz they will dedfinately get a payback from the west, east, south and middle belt, which might lead to unexpected consequences.

I am happy that finally,the rest of Nigerians have seen through these northern Muslims.
Biafrans knew that 40 years.

what morality are we talking about,shouldn't the illiterate alhaji worry about grown men marrying and impregnating 9 year olds who end up being abandoned,leaking with urine and faeces after their immature pelvises are unable to push out babies in prolonged labour,these girls are later picked up and their fistulae repaired by volunteer missionaries in northern Nigeria.These are the lucky ones mind you,a large number die in labour.

That is where his energy should be directed,to end pedophilia disguised as marriage rather than this nonsense.

@babyosisi
The guy is clueless. To cover up his failed regime he seeks to appease the imams before he leaves and these so called "non-muslim notherners" are here acting like stooges.
How absurd and silly!

somze:

@babyosisi
The guy is clueless. To cover up his failed regime he seeks to appease the imams before he leaves and these so called "non-muslim notherners" are here acting like stooges.
How absurd and silly!

tell me about it.
His house is on fire and alhaji is busy pursuing rats!!

babyosisi:

tell me about it.
His house is on fire and alhaji is busy pursuing rats!!

we could have forgiven him if he were pursuing something as big as a rat. His house is on fire and he is busy pursuing the air.

Honestly, I Believe In Calling A Spade A Spade. Sometimes We Give Credence To Mediocrity By Aguing With Mediocres.

I Am Not One Who Loves To Mince Words. When A Fellow Chooses To Call A Spade A Spoon, U Know the Best Answer For Him?.

Serve Him A Dish And Give Him The Spade To Eat With.

You Know The Hot Dish? These Northern Religious Extremists Are The People Pulling Us Back. They Contribute Nothing To The Economy But Chaos And Divisive Politics. They Are The Worst Breakers Of The Very Laws They Claim To Protect.

What Is Sharia? We All Know No One Loves Sharia. No Muslim Loves Sharia. I Say It Again . No Muslim Loves Sharia. These We All Know.

An For The So Called Northerners On This Forum Dont Even Bother Arguing This Because I'm A Northerner Too.

I Know Better. Sharia Is Divisive. Sharia Is Retrogressive. Sharia Has Become A Potent Tool In The Dirty Hands Of The Visionless Leaders In The North.

Shame On Them.

good you came.
I was wondering if all the northerners thought like this Danmasani of a guy.
Didn't they start with a scarf in Afghanistan and ended up with a full eyo masquerade?
Only that this eyo was black and heavier than rice sack

As we speak, a BBC reporter recently set a landmark record in Saudi Arabia as the first woman ever to swim in a public pool. Saudi Women may get the nod to vote in 2009, a right that every 18 yr old Nigerian presently takes for granted. Welcome to Danmansani's world! Unfortunately those of us who have seen freedom are not going to let retrogresive old men with archaic ideas drag us back to the 12th century. As it stands we should be grateful to have made it this far with the albatross that the north has turned out to be.

Let Me Tell U Who The Hausas Are:

A People With Lost Identity. Nowadays We Hear Of Identities Like Hausa_Fulani. Tell Me What Is The Similarity Between Hausa And Fulani Language?

They Bear No Similarities. The Only Thing Cementing That Unholy Matrix Is An Identity Crisis Stemming For Religious Sentiments.

The Hausa Have A Very Short Memory. They Have Forgotten Too Quick How The Fulani Horse Raiders Plundered, Raped And Imposed The "Religion" On Them Through Intimidation.
Prior To Usman Danfodio's "Occupation" and Propagation Of Islam Thru Terror, Te Hausas Were A Peace Loving And Very Social And Fun Loving People.

The Fulani Enslaved Them And Imposed Draconian Tax Laws On Them. The Emirs Could Even Have Your Wife If They Pleased.
I Bet U Their Forefathers Didnt Like That One Bit. But U Know Religion Has Always Been Potent Tool In The Hands Of The State.

Any State That Mixes Religion With Politics Can Come Up With A Potent Mix For Repression And Thats What The Fulanis Did.

They Learnt It From The Arabs!

Even Down To The Early 80's Before The Rise of One Religious Fundamentalist In The North By The Name Of Abubakar Gumi, U Could Still Find Traces Of The Original Hausa Culture Even Though It Was An "Endagered Cultural Specie" At That Time.

The Hausa I Remember Loved Social Festivals Where The Girls Would Come Out Wel Painted, Cladded In Beautiful Attires To Showcase Their God Given Endowments. And I Bet U The Men Loved It.

Now What Do We Have.

I Need Not Enumerate. Go Read Your History Books. Thats If U Have The Stamina To Study

@Afam

That the constitution talks about Sharia Court is not a blank cheque for any State Government to practice a particular religion as the constituion in section 10 frowns at having a state religion.

The section you quoted talks about how the Sharia court is set up for those who need it, and I also like to draw your attention to section 262 of the same constitution quoted below

262. (1) The Sharia Court of Appeal shall, in addition to such other jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly, exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Islamic personal law.

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section, the Sharia Court of Appeal shall be competent to decide -

(a) any question of Islamic personal law regarding a marriage concluded in accordance with that law, including a question relating to the validity or dissolution of such a marriage or a question that depends on such a marriage and relating to family relationship or the guardianship of an infant;

(b) where all the parties to the proceeding are Muslims, any question of Islamic personal law regarding a marriage, including the validity or dissolution of that marriage, or regarding family relationship, a foundling or the guardianship of an infant;

(c) any question of Islamic personal law regarding a wakf, gift, will or succession where the endower, donor, testator or deceased person is a Muslim;

(d) any question of Islamic personal law regarding an infant, prodigal or person of unsound mind who is a Muslim or the maintenance or the guardianship of a Muslim who is physically or mentally infirm; or

(e) where all the parties to the proceedings, being Muslims, have requested the court that hears the case in the first instance to determine that case in accordance with Islamic personal law, any other question.

What this simply suggest is that the Sharia court only has powers to preside over cases where both parties are muslims and simply has no juridictions in cases where either or both parties is or are non-muslims.

In a situation like this I think section 10 of the constitution which makes it illegal to have state religion takes precedence.
The sections of the constitution you tried to quote are meant for customary cases for muslims as regards mariages, families and related issues and will not be applied when the fundamental human rights of a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is Non-Muslim is trampled upon.


Afam

One thing I have learnt in this life is to limit my discussions to issues I have reasonable information on so as to avoid making apologies when it is shown that I do not understand what I may be discussing.

You only reproduced the general section and avoided the areas that specifically dealt with Sharia.

The constitution clearly makes a provision for the implementation of sharia (275).

I am not going to demand your apology like you did me, because I do not think you were trying to decieve anyone by referring to particular sections of the constitution. However I do urge you to research also other parts of the constitution and apply common sense. Leave political correctness out of this, we can not have a Nigeria where a southerner can not feel at home in the North and yet he claims to live in his own country.
Frankly is it not a shame that a Southern Nigerian feels safer in Tunisia or Egypt than in Kano??

@Mckren,

Let us come home to realities so we can understand the issues better, enough of the grammar.

Are you saying that any Nigerian is guaranteed the right to practice prositution in a state that has agreed to implement sharia simply because as a non muslim sharia code of conduct cannot affect the woman?

Are you saying that it is right for non muslims living in the Northern states where sharia has been introduced are free to setup brothels and night clubs simply because they are non muslims and as such sharia does not have any effects on whatever they choose to do in those states?

Please, provide answers to these 2 questions so we can appreciate the validity or otherwise of the position of the constitution on this very important issue.

Not wearing hijab does not equate to prostitution. What we are talking about here is compelling people to subscribe to a particular religous dress codes.

Like you let me deviate a little. I served in Sokoto, everyman both Christains and Muslims love beautiful and sexy girls. Let us stop wallowing in hypocrisy, these men who pass such draconian laws are the first to run to camp chasing NYSC girls from the south at Night yet during the day they despise girls.
This is 2007 Nigeria and not 1857, if any man gets easily turned up by sexy girls he should change the dimensions of his pants and go for tighter ones.

There are more issues Shekarua can do for his people if he loves them, he should shun divisive politics and trying to use religion to score cheap political points.  I bet you, if you research very well he has a very hot girlfriend camped in Abuja.

Please, answer the questions.

I have not equated not wearing the hijab to prostitution, I am talking of prostitution proper here.

Again, answer these simple questions so we can be more realistic.

We accuse the elite of confusing or deceiving the masses but it seems that even some of us are following the same path.

Does the Nigerian constitution guarantee the right of a woman to practice prostitution in any part of the country she likes even if sharia is implemented in states she may be willing to ply her trade in?

Answer this question. It is a simple and straight forward one.