Sunday, October 19, 2014

Nigerian Court Upholds Ban On Head Scarves In Public Schools

According to AFP, in Nigeria on Friday a judge on the High Court in Lagos upheld the Lagos State government's ban on wearing of the hijab (Muslim head scarf) in public schools. In upholding the ban introduced last year, the court said in part:
The ban on the use of hijab in public schools in Lagos is not a breach of the applicants' fundamental rights to religion because Nigeria as a secular state does not adopt any religion as a state religion.
Removing the ban on the hijab will be tantamount to promoting a particular religion against the others and this may lead to social tensions.
The  Muslim Students Society of Nigeria which brought the challenge says it will appeal.