By Dr. Khadijah Tijani
I want the world to know about the struggles of a typical Nigerian hijabi such as myself.
Nigeria is the most populated country in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a population of about 211 million people. The population of Muslims, however, is around 99 million, making us the world’s 5th largest Muslim population in the world. We have a long history of Islamic heritage, from the Sokoto caliphate to the Ilorin emirates.
But, these numbers are not as strong as they seem. There is a huge problem of Islamophobia, attributed to the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Northern part of the country. Their incessant killings, kidnappings and banditry in the North have sent a message of fear to other geopolitical zones.
The Southwestern region, where I come from, is heavily dominated by Christians with a multibillion-naira evangelical business. These Christians and some liberal Muslims do not hide their hatred for practicing Muslims. It doesn’t matter which part of the country one is from; once he or she is visibly Muslim, he or she will be profiled as a Boko Haram member or an “Apologist.”
Therefore, the discrimination against Muslims, particularly hijabis, is far-reaching, has gone on for too long and is pervasive. Families have disowned their daughters for attempting to wear the hijab. School teachers and college professors have harassed hijabi students and denied them access to classes and exam halls. Companies will not hire a woman with a hijab or a man with a beard that is longer than a certain length…the list goes on and on.
There’s a subset of Islamophobes who have perfected the art of making jest of hijab wearers. They might not ask one to remove the hijab. They might not send one out of the classroom or office for wearing the hijab. However, they will humiliate her.
In fact, during my University days, I had a Christian lecturer who used to call hijabis olubori, a Yoruba expression which means: “someone who covers her hair.” Then, he would go further and mockingly call us different names based on our level of “hijabness.” For example, if one covered her head, but not her feet, she was dubbed Abori-mab’ẹsẹ̀. If she covered her feet with socks, he called her Abori-b’ẹsẹ̀.
I can’t imagine what he would have called anyone wearing the niqab amongst us. Based on my observation, none of us were brave enough to take on the niqab at that time.
If a hijabi raised her hand, this lecturer would check her out from head-to-toe, give her a humiliating name and laugh mischievously.
The psychological effects of such comments and sneers can neither be explained nor forgotten in a lifetime. The mistake some of us made is that we stayed too quiet for too long. Perhaps, if we had been more assertive, things would have changed by now.
Sometimes, we complained. We reported. We protested. We sued. The humiliation subsided a little and then it arose again. Then, when all was quiet, the cycle continued.
Just last week, a lecturer in a college of nursing, who claimed to be a Muslim, was seen harassing a niqabi sister in front of a large auditorium. The video went viral within hours and, thankfully, a panel of inquiry was set up by the school management as well as the Muslim community. Other Muslim students testified to his overt hatred of the sunnah and the hijab, in particular. He later apologized for his conduct and promised to turn a new leaf.
Currently, in most nursing schools, only a shoulder-length hijab is permitted. All the Muslim ladies have to remove their jilbaab or niqab to comply with this “rule.”
The hijab is an inseparable part of our faith.
The hijab is not just a lifestyle. It is life, itself.
We, hijabis in Nigeria, want to let everyone know that the hijab is not a threat to anyone or any institution. It is a connection between the person wearing it and her Creator.
About author
Dr. Khadijah Tijani is a Nigerian medical doctor, a creative blogger and a published author. She grew up in Ibadan, Oyo State and graduated from the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan in 2009. After five years of practice in Nigeria, she relocated to Saudi Arabia where she worked as a resident physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Known as “Doctor KT,” Tijani is a women’s health advocate and a prolific health blogger for her own blog, www.askdoctorkt.com. She also runs an online platform, known as “Breastfeeding Support Lounge,” where she supports mothers towards achieving their breastfeeding goals. Tijani is the published author of “Wholesome Motherhood,” “Nature’s Superfood,” and “The Stampede: Tales of Love, Trials and Faith.”
Twitter @askdoctorkt
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