“Anti –hijab Employers”

I read the article on Islamonline with this headline “Anti-hijab employers”, it writes about private sector employers and their discrimination against Muslim women in hijab in southern Nigeria.
Unemployment rates are high in Nigeria, in several states the private sector employs over 70% of the populations. The graduate job market is very competitive and stiff; some graduates already have second degrees at master’s level without any work experience. Employers always have their feel in recruitment, typical job adverts will discriminate on age, nationality, years of experience and degree class.

Women in hijab face another odd, when they seek employments in the same market. It is almost degrading, as in some cases sisters would have made efforts to conform to the “corporate” dress code as is expected from these employers. Then they get the snotty “this is not a professional dress code”.
Sister’s talk about their experiences, many have made grave compromises in accepting job offer from such employers.

I think the Nigerian Muslim communities especially in the south have a challenge on their hands and it is not filling a lawsuit for discrimination (there are all sorts of discriminations not attended to), I believe it is in creating halal working environment for Muslims.

I don’t want a job in the private sector, these jobs are a big trial; you find Sisters stuck in small spaces/offices with men, Muslims are selling insurances and offering loans to customers, worst still you are not allowed time to establish your salawat, then the job becomes haram for you.
Let us a Muslims employs ourselves and create halal working environments for the Sisters and brothers. There are very few Halal establishments in Nigeria, this should be our focus.
Sister should not have to settle for less, tying your scarf back is not hijab, wearing a knee length skirt with a headscarf is not hijab either. What we loss from shrinking the hijab for employment outweighs what we gain (if there is indeed any gain).

Allah is the Sustainer, the preventer of Harm, and the owner of All.
He has all the power to meet our needs.

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