A Nigerian Female Doctor was refused entrance into the
Nigerian embassy in Jeddah because of her insisting on her wearing the full
veil.
Despite being informed of the sweeping reforms of the host
country, the notice pasted outside the embassy gate and the fact that wearing
of the veil is no where in the Holy Quran, she insisted on seeing the Consul
General on her fundamental rights!
When on the arrival of the Consul General who insisted on
the rules being followed, the lady preferred to wait outside for up to 7 hours
until the Embassy closed for the day.
Can You Imagine This Woman Going To Saudi Arabia To 'Teach
Them' On The Position Of The Veil...?
MY EXPERIENCE AT THE NIGERIAN CONSULATE, JEDDAH ON 15
JANUARY 2018
I ARRIVED at the consulate a few minutes before 10 am on the
above-mentioned date with the aim of renewing my passport. The security guard
at the gate did not speak English, so another consulate staff who was present
attended to me. After asking what my business in the consulate was, he informed
me that I had to unveil my face before I could be allowed entry into the
premises.
I immediately protested – as this was at least the third
time I was visiting the consulate and had never been asked to do this – but he
showed me a notice pasted on the wall that all women were expected to unveil
their faces before entry into, and all through their stay in, the premises. I
explained to him that I could not do this, but was willing to be identified at
the gate to fulfil any security requirements that may arise. He, the un-named
consulate staff, however told me that this was not about identification.
When I asked what it was about, he said that this was not
his job, and he was only trying to help, that I should discuss with the
security men, and he left.
Thereafter the remaining men, at least three of them,
started telling me that I had to either unveil my face and go in or leave the
premises. I asked them to at least wait until my husband – who was still
outside settling the taxi fare – arrived, and they relented.
When my husband came, I narrated what happened to him and he
asked to see a senior consulate staff to explain my situation to him.
According to him, the man he saw confirmed that this was a
new rule of the consulate and that I had to comply or wait for the Consul
General (C.G.). As he returned to inform me of the result of this meeting, the
security men, again, began to ask us to leave the premises. So, we left the
interior of the security post to wait outside for the arrival of the C.G.
The C.G. arrived some time later and, on seeing us outside
the consulate, asked why we were there. The security men told him that I had
refused to remove my face veil, and he shook his head vehemently and ordered
that I be denied entry. My husband went to talk to him, but he refused to grant
him an audience. He – from a distance – told my husband that I HAD TO COMPLY
AND UNVEIL MY FACE THROUGH OUT MY VISIT as was stated by the notice. And when
my husband asked to be allowed to explain, and possibly negotiate my
willingness to undergo identity checks for security purposes – as I’m used to
doing in airports and other security sensitive facilities worldwide - he said
he was not interested in listening to anything my husband had to say and asked
him to vacate the premises.
Once he returned to me and was giving me the report of this
aborted meeting, the security men once again came to us and ordered us to leave
the vicinity of the consulate. They said Oga said we had to go away from there.
At this point, both my husband and I told them that we would not move from there.
We were law-abiding Nigerians who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia peacefully
for over seven years now, and we had a legitimate business at the consulate
which we have, so far, been unable to transact. They threatened us with police
and bodily removal, but left us alone when we refused to leave.
Over the next six hours, different members of staff came to
talk to us in a guise of goodwill and Muslim brotherhood.
They had a range of reasoning and arguments;
-This veiling of face is not in the Qur’an ,
-It is not compulsory,
-Are you saying that all the other women who have exposed
their faces are going to hell?
-We are all Muslims here, so no one is trying to victimse
you
-Allaah has seen your intention. Just do what is asked and
go inside
-This is the rule of this place, obey.
-This place is under the Nigerian jurisdiction, you must
obey Nigerian law.
-They can bring diplomatic police to arrest you.
All these were the things said directly to us, disregarding
the taunts and snide comments made mostly by the security men and others who
came to spend time with them at the security post, but when they saw that I
would not unveil myself unrestrictedly, they all left eventually. However, at
least two of these well-meaning consulate staff said a variation of, ‘This man
– meaning the C.G. - will not budge on this matter.’
At least one swore by Allaah to that effect.
At about 2 p.m., I asked to speak to the C.G personally, but
he sent the message that I could unveil my face then come in to see him.
After that, the bulky security man in all-green uniform came
to me in an intimidating stance and asked me to move from where I was at the
entrance of the consulate.
As my husband had left by then to bring our children – who
had spent over three hours waiting with us in the sun – to the hotel, I was
afraid for my safety as a woman alone and did what he asked. He told me to sit
at the edge of the kiosk painted green and white, off to one side and away from
the entrance or the security cameras.
Notably, only one member of staff – at about 3.30 pm –
offered to intercede on our behalf with the C.G. But seeing as the C.G. drove
off a few minutes after 4 pm, and we did not see the gentleman again till we
left at 4.30 pm, I guess his mission was unsuccessful.
I have tried – all through this narration – to give a
factual recollection of something that was, in truth, a harrowing and
humiliating experience for me and my family. To stand outside in the Saudi sun
for about seven hours – they refused to even let me in to pray salaah – for
something as arbitrary as ‘this is the rule here’ without even attempting to
listen to my case, or assist me in finding an acceptable solution or middle
ground…..
And Allaah is Witness over all that we do.
Dr. Muti’ah Olaide,
BadruKhaybar General Hospital,
Khaybar, Madina Region.
16th January, 2018.
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It will seem like we, Nigerians, are being fundamentalist
and teaching them (the owners of the religion - so to say), the religion!
Whereas, places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, etc are so liberal that many non
Muslims go there for vacation (Our Vice President and his family chose Dubai
earlier this month as the place to go for the vacation)
Even Saudi Arabia has recently been relaxing so many of its
religious laws and restrictions all in ways to show modern day reformations.
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