A Nigerian law school
graduate was denied her call to the bar for refusing to take off her headscarf.
Amasa
Firdaus Abdulsalam was not permitted by the Body of Benchers to enter the
International Conference Centre on December 12 where the call to bar is usually
held.
The
Lagos-based Nigerian Law School said that she was breaking the dress code set
by the university, but Abdulsalam, who was already wearing her new gown,
insisted on wearing the wig on top of her hijab.
The hijab is
a headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion.
According to
local reports, Abdulsalam called the refusal of the Nigerian Law School to call
her to the bar a violation of her right to freedom of religion as protected by
Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution.
The call to
bar is the official moment where an individual is sworn into a law society or
court and obtains licensing to practise law in that jurisdiction.
Abdulsalam
can be called to the bar next year only if she is regarded as having complied
with all the rules.
The
President of Nigerian Bar Association A.B. Mahmoud vowed that the
association would look into the situation.
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