The presidency says the Buhari administration will not ban the hijab without consulting with the stakeholders.
Giving a clarification on the pronouncement of the president on his maiden media chat on Wednesday, Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, said the speculations were “unfounded”, and that the Buhari administration would always respect the rights of Muslims to protect their modesty and allow religious freedom as it affects everyone.
Buhari had said that his government may ban the use of hijabs by Muslim women if the suicide bombings continue without end, adding that it has no cogent intelligence on the fate of the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram almost two years.
According to him, “We are keeping our options open with Boko Haram on the Chibok girls on the condition that they can guarantee that the girls are safe and alive.
”Shehu, while admitting that “the hijab was being abused by insurgents to carry out suicide attacks on people, which violates the teachings of Islam”, said the president would not take any decision on the issue without due consultation with all the stakeholders.
“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.
According to him, the increasing abuse of the hijab by insurgents to perpetrate criminal mass murder and other atrocities was a reality, and that the government would address the security challenge in consultations with Muslim leaders with a view to finding a workable solution.
