RismadarVoice Reporters
January 31, 2026
A coalition of Muslim women’s organizations has renewed calls for an end to discrimination against hijab-wearing women across the country, urging government authorities and institutions to give full effect to constitutional and judicial protections – guaranteeing their rights.
The call was made on Thursday during a briefing to commemorate World Hijab Day, held at the Lagos State Secretariat Community Central Mosque Hall in Ikeja. The coalition marked the global event under the theme “Unity in Hijab,” with a locally adopted theme of “One Sisterhood.”
The Executive Director of the Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, said Muslim women across Nigeria joined millions around the world to reaffirm the hijab as a symbol of faith, dignity and unity, rather than a basis for exclusion. She explained that World Hijab Day promotes religious tolerance and mutual understanding.
“The hijab cuts across ethnicity, class and ability, uniting Muslim women as one sisterhood,” she said.
Orolu-Balogun lamented that despite constitutional backing, hijab-wearing women in Nigeria continue to face harassment and denial of rights in schools, workplaces and public institutions.
Also speaking, Maryam Abdur-Rasheed of the Pure Heart Foundation stressed that the hijab is a divine command rooted in the Qur’an, not a cultural or political statement. Citing Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, she noted that restricting the wearing of the hijab amounts to a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion.
Raising concerns about minority communities, Kudrah Ogunmuyiwa of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria highlighted the plight of Igbo Muslim women, who face double vulnerability due to both ethnicity and religion. She condemned recent hate speech and threats against Igbo Muslims and called on law enforcement agencies and community leaders in the South-East to act decisively.
“Igbo Muslim women are facing a dangerous double vulnerability, targeted for both their faith and their ethnicity. Hate speech and threats must not be ignored, and authorities in the South-East must act decisively to protect Muslim women,” she said.
On inclusion, Hussainat Akintola of Al-Muminaat drew attention to the challenges faced by Muslim women living with disabilities. She called for disability-friendly mosques, inclusive policies and reasonable accommodation to address widespread inaccessibility, insensitive treatment and exclusion from public and religious spaces.
“Disability-friendly mosques, inclusive policies and reasonable accommodation are not privileges; they are rights for Muslim women too,” she said.
Speaking on education, Rofiat Tijani of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos Area Unit, criticised subtle but persistent discrimination in schools despite Supreme Court rulings affirming the right of Muslim students to wear the hijab. She cited practices such as forced “tuck-in” rules, concealment under berets and threats of suspension as unlawful.
“Despite clear Supreme Court rulings, Muslim students continue to face subtle but persistent discrimination in schools. Forcing girls to hide their hijabs or threatening suspension is unlawful and unacceptable,” she said.
Concerns were also raised over harassment at ports of entry and immigration points.
Akanbi Maryam of Akhwaat alleged that hijab-wearing women are frequently compelled to remove their hijabs for biometric screening, contrary to international standards and existing Nigerian regulations.
