Our case against the ‘hijabists’, Aregbesola — Christians

They should abide by court verdict – Muslim community By Gbenga Olarinoye, OSOGBO Since the judgment of Justice Saka Oyejide Falola that permitted Muslim female students to wear hijab as part of school uniform, law and order could be said to have taken flight from public schools across Osun State. The case instituted against the Osun government by the Muslim  community in the state had dragged for almost three years before Falola gave his verdict. At  the centre of the controversy has been Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Osun State chapter, under the headship of Rev. Elisha Ogundiya, accused of attempting  to Islamise Osun, saying he planned to get that done by erasing  the legacies of the schools founded by Christian missions. Members of the Muslim  community, on their part, have been urging CAN to respect the decision of the court since it only guarantees the right of Muslims to propagate their faith. Going back memory lane, what is presently a full blown crisis  was first noticed in 2013, when a male teacher in Baptist High School, Adeeke, Iwo, was nearly killed by some angry Muslim youths because he punished a female student that disobeyed his instruction  to remove her hijab. Students in Osun go to school in their Church robes Then the Muslim community took the matter to the state High Court for adjudication. Meanwhile, Aregbesola, on assumption of office in 2011, constituted the Professor Wole Soyinka-led education summit to reverse the state of education in Osun  which was at the lowest ebb. The summit gave birth to the re-classification of schools in the state including merger, school feeding programme, and provision of same school uniform for students in the state. It is the merging of schools which became mega schools that gave birth to the current  disharmony between Christians and Muslims in Osun  as each of them wants to protect its  faith. Certainly, this is not the best of time for the Aregbesola administration which has done a lot to develop education by building modern schools with infrastructures and teaching equipment to ensure students learn  in  conducive environments. While the rage was on between the two major religious, Muslims, in their support for the enforcement of the use of hijab, at a press conference addressed by the Vice President of Osun State Muslim  community, Alhaji Mustapha Olawuyi, asked CAN not to take any action that may lead to religious crisis in the state but to abide by the judgement of the court. Olawuyi said there should be no argument concerning the implementation of the court judgment that granted the fundamental right of female Muslim students in public schools in the state to wear hijab during school hours. The Muslim community said: “Muslims in Osun State are not concerned with what anybody wears to schools, we can only advise the Christian body to do things within the limits of the law. If the Christian body feels that the right of Christians has been violated, the body should approach the court and seek redress. “We are not oblivious of the decision of CAN to appeal the verdict of Justice Falola but we have not received any notice of appeal. Therefore, we shall urge them to file their appeal timeously and purse same diligently instead of engaging in lawlessness and propaganda”. While commending  Falola for upholding his judicial oath to deliver justice without fear or favour, the Muslim community appealed to the state government and law enforcement agents to call  CAN to order so as not to trigger avoidable religious clash in the state. “We call on all the respondents in the case including the state government, education administrators, principals, head teachers, teachers in public schools in the state to respect the rule of law by obeying the judgement of the court”. But the Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, Osun State , YOWICAN -OS, in  a  reaction, explained that it was not against the wearing of hijab in Osun public but Christian mission established schools as being insinuated but insisted Christians will not go back on the wearing of church garments to school. The group said the judgment of  Falola that legitimised the  wearing of hijab in public schools was a direct opposite of the agreement leaders of National Inter-religious  Council, NIREC, Osun State chapter, reached on the issue. YOWICAN President, Nicholas Owoofe, recalled that on November 30, 2011, the issue of hijab came up for discussion and leaders of the two religions agreed that only conventional uniforms would be allowed in public schools. “We were however disturbed that a group later went to court and now they are saying the judgment must be implemented. Why would hijab become an issue at the moment when Christians and Muslims have been living happily together for years without crisis?,” Owoofe stated. “In Justice Falola’s judgment, he ruled that the wearing of  hijab is a right and a means to propagate Islam. We need to remind those behind this move that at the point of take over of Christian-mission founded schools in 1975, agreement reached with them was that only administration of the schools would be taken over. “Original owners of the schools were also assured that their philosophy, traditions and culture would not be tampered with. Why would all these be thrown away? We are not against using of hijab, but let whoever is interested in wearing hijab do so in Muslim-mission founded public schools”. The matter however snowballed into crisis  on Tuesday when the Christian group made good its  threat   as some students of Baptist High School, Adeeke, Iwo, stormed the school in  Christian robes while some Muslim female students also appeared in hijab and both allowed to attend class  together. They continued in that manner for the second day despite  Aregbesola’s threat to discipline any erring student until the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi, security operatives in the state, the ruling  APC leaders and other stakeholders in the state intervened. The state administration has weathered so many storms in the past including unpaid  workers salaries which led to strike by the civil servants in the state. Will Aregbesola who many described as a cat with nine lives survive this one also? Only the future can  tell.