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Suicide Bombers: Nigerian Muslims Kick Against Law To Search Women In Hijab
Posted by Odinaka on Mon 13th Jul, 2015 - tori.ngMuslims across the country have kicked against heightened searches conducted on women wearing Islamic dresses by security men.
Due to the rising cases of Boko Haram female suicide bombers hiding explosives beneath the Islamic dress - Hijab, Nigeria’s security agents in the North have also begun to search women who wear the Islamic dresses for bombs.
Last year, there were about 10 cases of female suicide bombers who used the Islamic dress to conceal explosives in parts of the North. This year there have also been similar cases recorded in some parts of the country.
Following this development, the army and the police had deployed more female operatives for the purpose of frisking women wearing hijabs especially in states where Boko Haram have attacked more often. The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Shogunle, told Sunday PUNCH that women who wore the hijab were only searched by female security agents because of the religious and cultural beliefs prevalent in the region.
“More female policewomen have been deployed to participate in security operations that would involve the searching of women, because of the religious and cultural beliefs of the (Northern) region.
"Women wearing hijab don’t constitute a security threat. The Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and dressing. Our officers serving in the states prone to terrorism are aware of the modus operandi of the insurgents and they know what to look out for.
"Recently in Kano a female terrorist wearing a hijab was trying to mingle with people entering the mosque, but the officers there were able to identify her and fish her out.
"The same thing happened again in Kano when a hijab-wearing female attempted to enter a school and she was prevented from entering the school to carry out her deadly mission. The policemen on duty knew she was not coming on a good mission, so they stopped her from entering the school and she was forced to detonate her bombs outside the premises."
Muslims across the country have now kicked against heightened searches conducted on women wearing Islamic dresses by security men and cautioned security agencies against frisking muslim women dressed in hijab and burka, adding that such an action would amount to profiling them. JNI Secretary-General, Dr. Abubakar Aliyu-Khalid told correspondents;
“We are not comfortable with the security arrangement. There should not be separate laws for Muslims and other religion adherents. Solving problems in Nigeria is like scratching the surface. We do not support the fact that Muslim women should be singled out for this action. It is known that some of the people who carry out these suicide bomb attacks are not even Muslims,” he said.
Similarly, the Convener, Muslim Rights Concern and Professor of Islamic Eschatology at the Lagos State University, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said the Muslim community was against the search of women wearing hijab.
“It will amount to profiling Muslim women. The repercussion will even be graver than we ever expected. Already, the Nigeria elite are discriminating against Muslim women and Muslims generally. Muslims have the right to dress the way they like. Let the security agencies do their work; they know what to do. There is deep intelligence. They should nip conspiracy and plots to bomb in the bud.
Where they (Boko Haram) are making the bombs, get them there. Those who are behind making the bombs, get them. Those who finance them, pick them. You don’t infringe on civil rights. Boko Haram or no Boko Haram, people should dress the way Allah has instructed them.”
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