Ethiopia: Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council Warns of 'Peaceful Measures' Over Axum School Hijab Ban, Sets Three-Day Deadline

3 January 2025
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba- The Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council has warned that it will take "further peaceful measures in consultation with believers" if the ongoing ban on Muslim students wearing the hijab in schools in Axum town is not addressed within three days.

"We request that the law issued by the Federal Ministry of Education regarding Muslim students' dress code be respected," the Council said in a statement released today, 03 January 2025, in Mekelle.

The Council described the ban as a violation of fundamental rights, stating, "This hijab ban violates citizens' human rights, the constitution, Ministry of Education guidelines, and our regional laws." It further emphasized, "School regulations should not contradict the constitution. Our hijab-wearing request should be addressed according to Ministry of Education regulation number 6.3."

Muslim students in Axum, located in the Central Zone of the Tigray region, have been protesting a hijab ban they say violates their constitutional rights to education and religious freedom.

Haji Mohammed Kahsay, Secretary of the Islamic Affairs Council in Tigray, previously told Addis Standard that the ban disproportionately affected grade 12 students. "Some students have been prevented from registering for the national exams because they were not allowed to enter the school premises."

In its statement today, the Tigray Islamic Affairs Council also highlighted the challenges faced by students in the war-torn region: "The political and environmental crisis in Tigray is enough; opening another door for a religion-based crisis would push the region from bad to worse." The Council also underscored the impact on students, stating, "Preventing them from attending school just for wearing a hijab that reflects their identity is illegal and unjust."

Calling for collective action, the Council urged "the Muslim community, other advocates of justice and peace, and our Christian brothers and sisters who have expressed their views on social media to exert pressure to resolve the hijab controversy." It added, "Education is a fundamental human right, and the right to wear the hijab is part of that."

The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council previously stated that "no resolution has been reached" regarding the case of Muslim students in Axum, Tigray Regional State, who were barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs.

Read the original article on Addis Standard.

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