Brave Nigerian lawyer denied call to bar for wearing hijab gets second chance

Nigerians have received with great joy the admission into the Nigerian Bar Association of a brave hijabi law graduate who was kicked out of a call to bar ceremony in December 2017 for refusing to remove her hijab.

The graduate of the University of Ilorin, Amasa Firdaus, was denied entry into the hall and denied a call to the bar after insisting on wearing the wig on her hijab despite instructions and plea from the Nigerian Body of Benchers and colleagues respectively.

According to local media reports, Amasa Firdaus has been invited to attend the July 2018 call to bar ceremony for her admission into the Nigerian Bar Association.

This follows a case filed by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) group which fought for the graduate’s rights, reports the News Agency of Nigeria.

They said in a statement that the Body of Benchers have decided that “Amasa Firdaus can wear a small covering over her hair for the Call to Bar ceremony in July while they deliberate on a generally appropriate dress code”.

There were also series of social media campaigns with the hashtag #JusticeForFirdaus to allow freedom of religion and Muslim lawyers to wear hijab in the profession.

This victory for Firdaus means other law graduates can wear hijab under their wigs at the Call to Bar ceremonies. But it will take a legal provision to allow Muslim lawyers in Nigeria to wear the hijab in court.

Here are some reactions to Amasa Firdaus’ admission into the Nigerian Bar Association.