22 April 2009

The trouble began on March 28, when the management of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), issued a termination letter to Safiya O Ahmad.

Though reason for the termination was not stated in the letter but ABUTH's management fraudulently claimed the dismissal was a result of Safiya's refusal to revert to neck-length from the chest-length Hijab she was using. Members of the organization have dismissed the claim as flawed, exposing the reason behind the sacking was Islamophobic practices by some tribalistic southerner officials.

As normal, Safiya's sack raised a lot of dust. The recent one ensued after the meeting of the Kaduna State Council of Ulamas, which was held on Thursday April 16th, 2009.

The meeting held under the auspices of the council of Ulama and Imams of Kaduna state deliberated on the termination of Safiya's appointment by ABUTH authorities. The council received detailed report from its members who were directly involved during the six-week disagreement period between Safiya and ABUTH.

Clearly Safiyah has angered the country's fanatic Christians at ABUTH by adhering to a correct dressing code of Islam. According to a circular signed by ABUTH's Director of Administration, Barrister Ishaq Bello, the scholars said, shoulder length Hijab was defined as 'a hijab sewn above the elbow and never to the level of umbilicus but should cover the breast.' Based on this definition of hijab, the council of Ulamas added, Safiya's hijab is in compliance with the hospital's rules and regulations and therefore shouldn't be the basis for her sack.

The council said their findings have revealed that Safiya was not given fair hearing. They said none of the top management of the hospital has ever taken time to see for himself the 'controversial' hijab but only relied on hear-say. The council also remarked that administrative due process was not followed as Safiya was not served any query letter nor did she appear before any disciplinary committee.

According to the Ulama, termination of Safiya's appointment was a unilateral decision of the hospital's Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi, but not a collective management decision.

Because of those facts, the council said, they will meet with the hospital's management for the unconditional reinstatement of Safiya. Sheikh Abubakar Imam Ikara of JIBWIS, Imam Mustapha Isa Qasim, Amir A.B.U Muslim forum and Imam A.B.U central mosque, Sheikh Aliyu Ibrahim Al Tukuriy, Imam Tukur Tukur Mosque and National president, Centre for promotion of Shari'ah in Nigeria, Malam Adamu Aliyu, former National President MSSN and member of MSSN 'A' Zone Execution Committee, among others were some of the scholars who attended the council meeting.

Before Thursday's meeting of the Kaduna State Council of Ulama, the ABUTH last Friday expressed, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi, said the hospital had prescribed Hijab which all Muslim-women nursing staff are allowed to wear for duty in the hospital. But Muslim faithful maintain ABUTH negative approaches towards the practicing Muslims are the problems.

Safiya's husband, Professor Abdulmumini said, went on campaign of calumny after the sack of his wife despite the ABUTH's effort to bring his wife to order. This campaign by Safiya's husband, he explained, was meant to incite Muslims within the hospital and the neighbouring communities against the management of the hospital.

While reacting to Safiya's claims, the ABUTH Chief Medical Director, Professor Abdulmumini, admitted that throughout the duration of the disagreement, he didn't see Safiya physically to assess the hijab in contention.

Safiya herself confirmed the ABUTH's management claims were false, saying her hijab doesn't contravene any nursing dress code.

She said the Hijab she uses is a breast length, the one approved by the National Council of Nursing and Midwifery of Nigeria for Muslim women nurses.

"I was trained at the ABUTH School of Nursing and I know the type of uniform they use. When I was a student, I used a breast length Hijab and when I assumed duty as a staff, I maintained my breast length Hijab.

"The day I assumed duty the Chief Nursing Officer of ABUTH told me that my Hijab was too long that I should divert to the neck length Hijab. I told her that this was the Hijab I was using since I was a student. In fact, I told her that the breast length Hijab was approved by the National Nursing and Midwifery Council."

According to Safiya, that was the beginning of trouble with anti-Muslims at ABUTH as the matter went up to the top management level that later warned her verbally and in writing that she should revert to the neck length Hijab.

"In order to make them understand that what I am wearing is neither against the rules of ABUTH nor our national body, I cited the examples of other federal hospitals that allow their nursing staff to wear longer Hijabs than mine. States like Zamfara and Kano are using waist length Hijabs in both federal and states hospitals. By this I feel if I am using a breast length Hijab, there shouldn't be a problem because we are operating under the same body,"

According to Safiya, ABUTH's management told her that they are not talking about national laws, they are only interested in what the hospital wants its staff to do.