Muslims Kick Against Heightened Security Search On Hijab-Dressed Women

Muslims across the country have kicked against heightened searches conducted on women wearing Islamic dresses by security men.

Muslims who spoke to Punch this weekend cautioned security agencies against frisking Muslim women dressed in hijab and burka, adding that such an action would amount to profiling them.

Wikipedia describes the hijab as a “veil that covers the head and chest, which is often worn by Muslim women beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family as a form of modest attire.”

Other dresses worn by Muslim women as a religious duty are the niqab, which only leaves the area around the eyes open and the burka which is a dress that covers all parts of the body leaving just a mesh over the eyes.

Nigeria’s neighbour, Chad – which is also part of the multinational joint task force – banned women from wearing hijab both in private and public places, following two suicide bomb attacks. The hijab was also banned in public places in Congo-Brazzaville, to counter terrorism in May.