The Conversation
What is the hijab?
The hijab has become a term used for all types of veiling among Muslim women. Some take it to mean a scarf or any piece of clothing that covers the woman’s head, face and body. There are a variety of veils in Muslim societies. The hijab is one. It covers the head with the face open and extends to either the ankle, abdomen or knees. Some Muslims refer to it as the khimar.
Another example of a veil is the burqawhich covers the woman’s face except her eyes and the area around them. There is also the jilbab, an outer garment which covers the woman’s body from head to toe, leaving the face and hands from the wrist open.
What does the Quran teach about the hijab?
The Quran encourages women to see the hijab as a symbol of modesty and decency that leads to achieving piety. For many Muslims, piety is one of the greatest achievements of a Muslim in life. This explains why the hijab has been embraced by many Muslim women.
Some clerics say that, although God instructs women to use the hijab, He did not intend to force them to use it.
Are there penalties for not wearing a hijab?
There are scholars who believe not wearing a hijab should incur punishment. But there are also scholars who don’t hold this view. For some Muslim clerics not using the hijab is considered to be neglecting a Quranic instruction, which is tantamount to disobeying God. The penalty for this disobedience would then be for God to decide. And, if you ask some Muslims what that penalty would be, they will most likely say hell!
But for many clerics, it’s not possible to predetermine what God’s decision would be on any issue.
This is why the question remains contentious in the Muslim world.
Why is the hijab controversial in Nigeria’s schools?
There are many reasons.
First is religion. Those who use the hijab claim that veiling is a religious obligation. Meanwhile, the school is seen as a secular sphere where any form of religiosity must be suppressed.
But, in my view, the notion of secularism is inconsistent with the history of the school system in Nigeria.
Historically, schools were introduced by Christian missionaries as part of a project to spread the religion from 1843. This meant that missionaries embedded religious practices in schools. In primary and secondary schools, pupils pray in their assemblies and sing hymns.
When Muslims started establishing their own schools from 1896, they also introduced Islamic practices to learning.
Many schools in Nigeria continue to be managed or owned by Christians and Muslims, even though government took some schools from them in the 1970s.
In addition, Nigeria has Muslim and Christian associations as well as mosques and churches existing side by side with academic practices in its tertiary institutions.
That’s why I believe that the argument about Nigerian schools being secular is not only misleading – it’s baseless…
