“Hijab doesn’t cover the beauty but covers adornments and female body and make them more modest and chaste.”- Taofeek Idowu
The wearing of hijab by Nigerian Muslim women, particularly those from the northern part of Nigeria, has long been a subject of profound significance, entangled with both religious symbolism and societal interpretations.
In Nigeria, where the population is religiously diverse, the wearing of hijab has taken multiple layers of meaning, serving as a marker of religious identity, cultural belonging, and even as a statement of fashion style and trend.
It is a known fact that every Muslim woman is obligated to wear a hijab, headscarf, or any form of clothing that would covers their hair at some point, but this has always come with a little bit of challenges where they always have to deal with passive-aggressive comments about their headwear.
From the Islamic Qur’an teachings in the 11th century through the trans-Saharan trade routes, the term "hijab" literally translates to "barrier" or "partition," symbolizing modesty and privacy for Muslim women. It is also translated to mean a "veil of protection" or a "spiritual veil" that shields a person from negative influences, protecting one's spirituality against anything that will negatively impact one's connection with Allah.
The Qur’an explicitly mentions the concept of modesty for both men and women, with specific references to women’s dress. Surah An-Nur (24:31) states:
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment..."
This is a directive for Muslim women to cover themselves in a manner that reflects their religious commitment. For Muslim women, the wearing of hijab can bring a sense of pride, but it can also attract racism as misconceptions and assumptions prevail. So, let's set the story straight.
For a very long time, I have always wondered why Muslim ladies always have to cover their heads both indoors and outdoors. At some point, I begin to think if these women are sacred beings and I think that’s one of the disadvantages that comes with being a believer of another religion.
It breeds curiosity, misconceptions and misunderstanding of another faith or religion, a common phenomenon in every society, not just in Nigeria, but in every part of the world. As time went on, I asked myself questions like why should some Muslim women cover their heads while some do not. Years after, I noticed there has been a change in the standard as regards the wearing of hijab.
In the city of Ilorin, Nigeria, where I currently reside, though an Islamic populated city, the wearing of hijab has become widespread and prominent. It is now a norm. There’s a new sense of upgrade as to how the Muslim ladies wear their hijab nowadays, that now comes with different fashion styles and modeling.
At every angle or corner you turn, you would be sure to find a group of Muslim women either in their jilbab or hijab, but what has changed?
Amoo Kaothar Ajoke, a young graduate of the University of Ilorin who is a fashion designer and data analyst from Ifelodun Local Government Area in Ilorin, Kwara State, shared her personal journey and experience with me during an interview on August 20, 2024.
She recounted how she began wearing the hijab, her path to embracing the tradition, the obstacles she faced, and the importance of hijab-wearing for Muslim women.
Her story was nothing but full of inspiration. Likewise, she shared with me her perspective on today’s trend of Jilbab wearing which is already a common trend among Muslim ladies and women.
Is this a consequence of Islamic teachings or a reflection of societal pressures? In other words, can this be attributed to the impact of Islamic doctrine or is it a result of broader societal influences?
The interview is as follows:
Interviewer: Kaothar, how would you describe your first time personal experience wearing a Hijab?
Kaothar: Hijab is a veil that we Muslim women wear to cover ourselves and it is a sign that symbolizes modesty and decency. When you see Muslim women outside and you see them covering themselves, you know that these people are Muslims.
As for my personal experience, I cannot really say that I have experiences with wearing hijab in a bad way or good way. I come from a Muslim home, where my mum wears jilbab, a set of clothes with the same colors.
When I was a child, my memory might not be as clear, but what I remember is that when I was still four years old, my mum would say that whenever they put a hijab on my head, I’d just remove it because then I did not have an idea of what my religion entails.
But during my secondary school, I remember back then that my mum had some group of women that came to her house for meetings. It was like an Islamic setting where they came by to talk about everything about Islam and read the holy Quran. Then whenever I saw them, they exuded peace and I always fell in love with the way they dressed and looked. So, I always looked at them, watching them.
I noticed that some of them wore gloves, socks and then I remember that in the house where we lived then, we had some women who put on Niqab, we call them Eleha in Yoruba. To me then, I used to ask myself why those women looked like masquerade, and say that I wouldn’t dress like that. So, it got to a point when I was in JSS1, I just told my mum, “Mum, I would love to start dressing like you”, and she was like, “Are you sure, this is not like the one you’ll be pulling off from your head” and I told her I was serious this time and would start wearing it. So from there, that was how my journey of wearing hijab started.
I started with wearing hijab, then at a particular point, I think when I went to a boarding school, during a holiday, I went to meet my mum and said, “Mum, I want to start wearing Jilbab like you.” The festival we had that year, she sewed that same attire for myself and my siblings and I loved it. I think when I was in JSS3, I started putting on socks.
Interviewer: What does wearing hijab symbolize to you?
Kaothar: First, I’ll say hijab to me is like an adornment. I see myself as not very fine when I put off my hijab. When I put on the hijab and I go out, people would look and say, “Oh Kaothar, you look very beautiful today. Did you just make this hijab? Did you just do this and that?” So, it is like an adornment to me even though I'm not putting on makeup or lip gloss or eyelashes, people still find me beautiful.
So, another symbol hijab gives to me is that, when putting on hijab, it is like I have a connection with my God. When I am putting on a hijab, as long as my head is covered, it gives me this connection with my lord. It gives me the privilege to talk to Allah whenever I want. Another symbol hijab gives me is confidence. It makes me very confident that whenever I am going out, I know that no, I am looking very good in this hijab. It prevents just useless people from coming to me. Hijab makes me confident.
“And again, it gives me peace, both physically and spiritually. I don’t know why, but whenever I am in my hijab, I have peace and I’m very happy. I have had people come up to me to ask, “Alhaja, are you not feeling heat with this hijab?” and I will just tell them that “I’m very okay.” Aside from it being an obligation to me as a Muslim woman, I am very proud of myself for putting on this type of thing. The wearing of hijab for me is also a sign of protection against sexual harassment.
Interviewer: What are the factors that influence or motivate you to always wear Hijab?
Kaothar: I have a lot of factors that motivate me to always put on my hijab. There are several places in the Quran that say we should cover ourselves and bodies. Those words give me motivation whenever I read the Quran. Aside from the Quran, my mum gives me motivation too because whenever she dresses, she has a kind of fashion for wearing hijab. Whenever she wears a hijab, she wears it to match her shoe color, and her bag color too.
Another motivation around me is my society. We Muslims, we have a sect, different organizations and I am part of one which is the Muslim Society of Nigeria in Lagos. So, we go for a camping program every December. So whenever we go there, I would see people and their dressing always takes me away.
Interviewer: Have you ever faced challenges wearing a hijab?
Kaothar: I really cannot say I have faced challenges because I barely go out, but people have shared their challenges with me. Around my colleagues too in school, I have had a lot of people that would just come to me and want to shake my hand or touch me and start asking me questions: why can’t I do this, why can’t I do that? I cannot say I have challenges wearing hijab.
Interviewer: Do you wear Hijab because you see it as mandatory or compulsory?
Kaothar: Wearing Hijab to me is not mandatory, it is like an obligation as a Muslim woman. It is something that comes voluntarily for me to do it. In the world now, you see some people, they call themselves Muslims and pray their five daily salat, but they do not cover their head whenever they are going out and they are still Muslims. That doesn’t make them non-Muslims. Wearing hijab is like an obligation for me. It is something I want to do, and I am doing it. Wearing hijab is sweet to me, so to me, wearing hijab is not mandatory, it is an obligation to me.
Interviewer: What do you have to say about Muslim ladies who do not wear hijab?
Kaothar: Even though Islam is a religion that has history way back, but then I believe everybody has their right to their own beliefs, so I really do not see them as anything. Covering your head or not covering your head, I just believe that as long as you know how to dress and not expose your head, it does not matter to me because we have a lot of Muslims who bear Muslim names but they dress casually.
Interviewer: Can you wear a hijab to a corporate firm as a staff member?
Kaothar: I believe hijab is the most corporate and casual dressing one can ever dress. It is a very nice dressing. I don’t see why wearing a hijab to a corporate firm or company should be an issue. If I get a big job or a very decent job, and they say I should dress corporately, of course I can’t remove my hijab. I can’t remove my hijab just because I have gotten a big job, or else, I would let the job go, I will go ask my lord and I am very sure there will be another alternative for me. I can’t remove my hijab for anything, no never. Wearing hijab does not determine the strength of your belief.
What do you make of Kaothar submission? Personally, for me, I have seen on several occasions where hijabi women have been perceived as liabilities in the professional spaces or work settings. The hijabi women, who are meant to be seen as a symbol of devoutness to Islam, are sometimes seen as a waving flag for passiveness and weakness.
Some are often faced with stigmatization in public places. Some Nigerian Muslim women have faced challenges wearing the hijab, with employers citing dress codes or professional standards as reasons for the prohibition. This has raised concerns about the marginalization of Muslim women in the labor market and the need for policies that accommodate religious diversity
Monsuroh, a lawyer in Lagos, Nigeria shared her experience with Opeyemi Rasak Oyadiran of Minority Africa that being overlooked or underestimated is a feeling she has sadly gotten used to.
“When I was job-hunting, the interview stage always made me anxious,” she says. “Once I walked in and the interviewer(s) saw my hijab and long dress, I could feel the energy in the room change. A prospective employer once asked me if my husband would not interfere if the nature of my job got too demanding. When I answered in the negative, he chuckled and said he didn’t want any ‘alhaji’ to appear and cause a scene in the office. All the personal questions he asked insinuated that he believed that I had very little to no agency over my affairs.”
A trip down the memory lane, in 2013, the World Hijab Day was founded by Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi American.
The significance of this day on every February 1 is to commemorate globally the wearing of hijab and also to encourage every Muslim women who choose hijab-wearing as their symbol of faith and identity to educate and continue spreading awareness. However, records show that the hijabi women have been subjected to discrimination in place of work.
A similar scenario like that of Monsuroh was the story of Rasheedah Omolola Abdulkareem, as narrated by IslamOnline.net. As of the time her story was put online by IslamOnline.net, Rasheedah explained how she has discriminated against twice during job interviews in multi-religious Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub and former federal capital city.
“In March this year, I visited the Integrated Corporate Service (ICS), a recruitment agency for banks and oil companies in Ilupeju, a suburb of Lagos, looking for job offers,” she told IslamOnline.net.
“I met all their requirements. We were asked to take tests. I did and got a notification two weeks after that I passed the test and should come for an interview,” she recalled. “I went there only to be told that I was not dressing corporately. I rushed home, put on a suit jacket and skirt, while still covering my head. But the interviewer, for reasons known to him, refused me access on my return, unless I remove my head cover. That was how I lost the job.”
From personal experiences in 2022 but quite unrelated to Rasheedah Omolol’sa story, there was a hijab controversy in Kwara State that broke into chaos and open crisis after some ten Christian schools turned away students and staff wearing the headscarf.
In Ijagbo of Oyun Local Government Area, Kwara State, on February 3, 2022, a violence broke out during a peaceful protest led by some Muslims who were expressing their displeasure over a move by the Oyun Baptist High School administration to ban students from wearing hijab. This riot resulted in gunshots, leading to the death of Habeeb Idris, and injuries to 11 other demonstrators.
What’s the way forward?
Earlier this year, February 1, 2024 during a press briefing in Abuja to commemorate the 2024 World Hijab Day, the coalition of Nigerian Muslim Women with the presence of the wife of Nigerian President and Nigeria’s first lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu expressed their support and commitment towards protecting the fundamental rights of hijab-wearing among women.
The coalition urged the National Assembly to enact laws that would protect the rights and freedom of all, regardless of what one wears.
The ‘Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021, which has already passed the second stage reading in March 2021, was raised by the coalition, urging the National Assembly to prevent the Bill from being discarded, but be passed into law in order to serve the interests of all Nigerian citizens.
Why the ‘Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021?
According to Leadership News, Section 4(1) (b) of the Bill state thus, “A person shall not, directly or indirectly or by any combination of the two, be intimidated, harassed, victimized or discriminated against on the basis of religious belief or activity or on the ground of manifestation of religion or religious belief or any other ground of a characteristic that people who have or engage in the religious belief or activity generally have.”
The Bill states further “on the ground of a characteristic that people who have or engage in the religious belief or activity are generally presumed to have or manifest which may include wearing religious emblem, head cover, hijab, scarf, habit, decent and modest religious dress.”
If the "Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021" was designed to address and combat religious discrimination in Nigeria, where religion plays a pivotal role in social and cultural identity, then I see no reason why such Bill shouldn’t pass into law.
If passed into law, the Bill will provide a legal and constitutional framework for addressing issues relating to religious intolerance and discrimination, particularly those faced by Muslim women in the society and places of work.
How the Nigerian government can use the bill to correct discrimination and stigmatization of Muslim women.
One of the ways the Nigerian government can utilize the Bill in correcting discrimination can be by empowering law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to actively enforce the provisions of the bill. This could include establishing specialized units or courts to handle cases of religious discrimination, ensuring that cases are dealt with swiftly and justly.
The government can also launch nationwide awareness campaigns to educate the public on the provisions of the bill and the importance of religious tolerance. These campaigns can help in dismantling the stereotypes and prejudices directed against Muslim women who wears the hijab or other religious attire.
In the place of work, the government can mandate that both public and private institutions adopt policies that promote religious inclusivity.
This can include guidelines on religious attire, such as allowing Muslim women to wear the hijab, and ensuring that religious practices are respected in the workplace. Also, in educational institutions, it should be required that every institution must create an environment where students of all religions will feel safe and respected, likewise protecting Muslim women who wear religious attire from bullying, harassment, or exclusion.
If these policies and strategies can be implemented, the Nigerian government can effectively use the "Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021" to rectify the discrimination and stigmatization of Muslim women.
The law would not only provide protection but also encourage a broader cultural shift towards greater tolerance and respect for religious diversity in Nigeria, providing space for religious tolerance and gender inclusiveness in the society.
Conclusively, the wearing of hijab should not be seen as dangerous, nor a religious tool of oppression towards women.