December 2017, Amasa Fridaus AbdulSalam, a
University of Ilorin law graduate was denied access
into the hall for her Call to Bar Ceremony, which took place at the
International Conference Centre, Abuja, for refusing to remove her hijab; the
case that generated lot of controversies within the Nigerian law profession and
the general public.
For peace to reign and in other to ensure
Nigeria is not ridicule, a committee was set up by The
House of Representatives for public hearing on the case and scheduled March 14,
2018 to decide on whether the use of Hijab will be constitutionally allow by
Nigerian Muslim female lawyers, but unfortunately the public hearing has to be
postponed due to impediment
created by seven Christian lawyers who filed and got a court injunction
restraining the House of Representatives from conducting the hearing.
As gathered, these seven Christians have no
direct business in the case. They aren’t representing the Law School neither
are they representing the Body of Benchers except their hatred for Islam and
commandment of Almighty Allah to discourage indecency that leads to other crime.
Come to think of it, those who hand over this act has since move one.
Unfortunately the unconcerned lawyers attempting to gain cheap popularity in
the face of truth is not considering looking stupid. This is the same thing
they are accusing of Amasa Fridaus, a girl that is not just fighting for her
personal human right but that of the Muslims as a whole.
Unsurprisingly, Allah (SWT) Has reference people
like this in Qur’an 2: 109 that: “Many of the People of the Scripture wish they
could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from
themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and
overlook until Allah delivers His command. Indeed, Allah is over all things
competent.”
I have come to learn from this incident and
other related one that a significant achievement required a calculated effort
and risk taking. The Amasa Firdaus CASE is never a co-incidence, according to
her “wearing the hijab does not contradict the dress code set by the law
school, while describing the action as “a violation of her rights”. She also
said that the restriction was a mere convention “that the British gave to us and we have to
stick to it.” She has conducted her research and ready to risk her
years of educational effort for her right and that of Muslims for Islam. One
other point is that, in the light of the truth, there are people who wil
definitely be against your effort out of ignorance, hatred or envy.
The
truth prevail at last in June, 2018 when the body of benchers responsible for
calling law graduates to bar approved the use of hijab, and Firdaus was called
to bar on Tuesday, 10th of July, 2018. Firdaus said: “I don’t feel
any special. I feel grateful to my Lord. A Muslim will always be hopeful. It
was not something I did myself. A lot of people were involved. I believe it is
something that Allah has personally designed; I was just used as an instrument.
A lot of people were in hijab. I feel grateful to Allah, it is not something I
did. It is what Allah did Himself. I don’t feel any special. I just believe
Allah decided to use me for it.”
A coward and selfish person can never step out
to stardom. It takes courage and knowledge to challenge the
status quo and achieves what
may seem impossible.
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