FOMWAN: Stop discriminating against Muslim women

A Muslim delegate at the National Conference and national leader of Federation of Muslim Women in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajiya Amina Omoti said discrimination against Muslim women for practising their religious rites should stop.

Speaking at the plenary of the conference, Omoti said: “I want to talk about the unfair incessant discrimination, harassment and molestation of Muslim women and girls in schools, work place and the NYSC for donning the Islamic mode of dressing.

“Whereas people of other faith conveniently adopt their dress code: the reverend sisters in their habit; the pastors in pastoral collar and crosses and Harry Krishna, etc,” she said.

The women group’s leader said “nobody finds this detestable. Mr. Chairman even when the country’s constitution’s section 38 of 1999 allows for freedom of worship and the ability to practice and manifest it. This issue should be seriously looked into.”

Omoti said the discrimination violates the constitutional rights of individuals, which guarantees freedom for religion to all Nigerians.

She said what happens in some states of the country contravenes such provisions of the constitution, and was a clear denial of the Muslim child the right to study Islamic Religious Studies and the forceful evangelism into the Christian faith on school assembly ground, and classes.