The Presidency has dismissed the insinuations that the Federal Government had
banned the use of Hijab, the Muslim women’s dressing symbol of modesty.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Malam Garba Shehu.
Giving a clarification on the pronouncement of the President on the issue during
last Wednesday’s Presidential Media Chat, Shehu said that the speculations
were unfounded.
He said that the Buhari-led Federal Government would always respect the rights
of Muslims to protect their modesty and allow religious freedom.
Shehu said that the Hijab was being abused by terrorists to carry out suicide
attacks on innocent people, which violated the teachings of Islam.
He, however, said that Buhari would not take any decision on the issue without
due consultation with all the stakeholders.
He said that the government would address the security challenge in
consultations with Muslim leaders with a view to finding a workable solution.
“Everything will be done to balance national security requirements with the
rights and obligations of citizens under their religions as protected by the
constitution,’’ he said.