Like most Yoruba Muslims, I have a few christian extended relatives, but I didn’t have any close interaction with a non -Muslim until I was about 10 years of age. I have always attended exclusively Islamic school until I got to Primary 5 when my dad fell on hard time and had to withdraw me from Crescent to School V.I to a Secular school in Lagos Island. The school is owned by a Muslim, but everything from the assembly to eating and playing were centred around Christianity. I experienced my first discrimination in that school and till date I continue to experience discrimination sometimes overt other time subtle from Yoruba Christians.
When I got to the school, my dad went to the Proprietor and told him he will like that I get permitted to adorn a scarf on the uniform. The Proprietor consented, and I even had a special assembly with a Muslim teacher Abu Abdullah Maruf Yaqub . But there was a christian teacher, Aunty Bose who will sometimes approach me and harras me. She will ask when last I washed the scarf and say it is smelling and dirty. She will make comments like “are you the only Muslim here, why can’t you pray like others”?
I have had several encounter with bus preachers, whom at the site of me in Hijab would cast and bind the devil, but this particular one was really very silly. This Preacher stood right in front of me in a Molue bus, while I was on my to Adam’s Coaching Class Oshodi. He was Kabashing and spitting in my face and I endure for like an hour until I couldn’t anymore, so I whisper to him, “sir can you pls move back”. He didn’t, Instead, he pointed and said “the devil is amongst us, if you like cover your head you will go to hell” and a lot of nonsense I can’t remember.
When I was in my 3rd year in the University, we used to have a lab session Friday afternoon. After the class we were expected to sign a list. The list had columns for Names, Matric no and signature. Now, we all had an habit, usually when the one person is writing their names on NO1 another person will start from the signature on No2 roll, because we all want to rush back to the hostel. More then 50 students had written their names that way, until I wanted to the same, the Christian lab attendant stopped me and said “you people like trouble, that was how Boko-haram started”.
My friend Pharm Zainab AbdulAzeez had a worse experience, as she was sent out of her project defense by a Yoruba Christian external examiner. While waiting at the door, visibly shaken. The external examiner said to their lecturer “you allow them dress like that”? She was eventually allowed in, but imagine what could have gone wrong by sending her out of an exam.
In my entire graduating set only 2 of us adorn the hijab, Myself and my friend Dr Sulayman Olanike . On my second day of resumption as an house officer, a senior registrar started asking me about the hijab. I was eager to educate her, until she started to link Islam with terrorism. She confessed she is an ex-Muslim and she was a troubled soul as a muslim who find solace in christianity, I said ok, can you recite suratu-Fatiha or any arabic prayers you learnt, she couldn’t. She then turned around and said “Let this be the last time we have this conversation”
While I understand the place of evangelism in christianity , I believe overzealousness and lack of respect for others believes is rampant among Yoruba Christians. My consultant, a Yoruba Christians just randomly asked me who “Jesus is to me”. I breathed heavily and gave her answers from Suratul Maryam and Al-Imran. But she wasn’t asking to learn about the position of Jesus in Islam, she was preaching to me about the holiness of christianity and the darkness of other religion. The H.O.D who is muslim has never spoken about religion to anyone, Infact if he has his way, he would rather not let you know his religion.
Also, despite us being in a Muslim dominated community, the staff number in the department is 50-50 christians and muslim, but this particular Oga would continue to lament about people being Picked based on religion (taking subtle jabs against Islam). The matron during the health talk would find a way to slot in evangelism despite speaking to Patients who are 95% Muslims. Patient who by the virtue of their situations can’t decline or say they are not interested in what she is saying.
We have the options of speaking up or continue to genuflect, bend and grovel, so as to be seen as the tolerant ones at our own expense.
Ire o.
Shakirah Olayinka Sanni-Abdullahi
