Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, Chief Missioner of Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), has congratulated all Muslim women and other ladies of faith on their well-deserved victory at the Nigerian Supreme Court, which affirmed their right to dress according to their religious dictate.
Onike made the remark in a statement issued by NASFAT’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Akeem Yusuf, and made available to journalists on Tuesday in Lagos.
A Lagos court ruled in favor of Muslim women Hijab (Islamic veil) wearing advocates who approached the court to enforce their rights to wear Hijab in public places.
He advised women to wear the Hijab to maintain modesty and privacy from unrelated males.
“It is a symbol of personal space ownership, privatisation of physical charms and bodily attraction.
“The decision to wear Hijab is a personal statement echoing that a woman’s body is her own private business.
“Scripturally speaking, the Almighty Allah says: “O Prophet, enjoin your wives and your daughters and the believing women to draw a part of their outer coverings around them.
“It is likely that they will be recognised and not molested. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
“Evidently, modest dressing is a sign of virtue of all religions as depicted by the images of our highly revered Virgin Mary; may God continue to bless her, not to mention the fact that, various professions and institutions have minimum dress codes for people that do not support indecency, immodesty and nudity,” he said.
According to Onike, the lengthy unnecessary battle appeared to be someone taking pain reliever for someone else’s headache, because how do you explain someone wanting to dress modestly as required by her religion and another person challenging her on that?
He stated that those who criticize women of faith for dressing modestly see nothing wrong with those who dress almost naked in public places in the name of fashion, creating the false impression that women are beauty toys.
He went on to say that one of the rulings’ takeaways is that Muslims will always seek refuge in the state’s recognized judicial platform by going to court whenever their rights are violated.
“Against opting for jungle, mob or vigilante justice. It has also reinforced the Muslims’ belief that the court remains the bastion of hope for Nigerian Muslims,” he said.
The spiritual leader of NASFAT also urged Muslims to be magnanimous in victory and to avoid abusing God’s support and vindication.
Furthermore, he urged all levels of government and educational institutions to respect Muslims’ right to worship, including allowing workers and students to observe Friday prayers at the appointed time.
He prayed for the MSSN leadership, the team of lawyers, including the late Chief Gani Adetola-Kaseem (SAN), and the entire Islamic workers and enthusiasts who worked tirelessly for this victory.
