The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed Amasa Firdausa for her courageous feat.
The group also commended the Nigerian Law School, the Body of Benchers and the Council of Legal Education for deeming it right to grant redress by calling Amasa to bar with her hijab.
Its Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, appealed to the authorities to allow other female Muslim students who elect to wear hijab below their wigs in future call to bar ceremonies. The organization argued that Muslims cannot be fully integrated into all aspects of Nigerian life unless authorities make inclusiveness a cardinal principle in their policies, rules and regulations.
MURIC also commended the House of Representatives for its quick intervention in the Law School hijab saga. The association lauded all Islamic organisations which showed interest in the struggle to liberate the Nigerian Muslim woman from the shackles of neo-colonialism as epitomized by the Amasa Firdaus phenomenon.
“To cap the edifice, we salute Amasa. This is our heroine and our ambassador extra-ordinary. She is the game changer who successfully challenged an unjust status quo. Her name must be written in letters of gold when the history of the liberation struggle of Nigerian Muslims in a heavily Christianised society is finally chronicled.
“We doff our hats for her father, Alhaji Abdullahi Amasa, for sacrificing so much for a cause in which he believes. His preference for obeying Almighty Allah instead of pleasing ordinary mortals and his choice of al-Akhirah (the Hereafter) over and above this ephemeral world gave birth to the resilience manifested by his daughter.
“In conclusion, we urge female Muslim law students who are already accustomed to using hijab to continuing wearing it without nursing any fear of persecution. Hijab is an Allah-given fundamental human right of every Muslim woman. Our hijab is our right and our right is our right. We assure Nigerian Muslim women of unflinching solidarity and full support of Nigerian Muslims.
“Nonetheless, we appeal to Muslims throughout the country to be humble in victory, to seek no vengeance, to avoid issuing provocative statements and to pray for a brilliant and successful law carreer for Amasa Firdaus”.