By: Adnan Adams Mohammed
A senior Muslim nurse, Adiza Ibrahim has been demoted for wearing hijab at work.
Adiza Ibrahim who is a Senior Nursing Officer with the Accra Psychiatric hospital, in a memo dated January 23rd, 2019 from the Nursing Administration of Psychiatric Hospital, Accra and signed by Mrs Beatrice Nyarko (DDNS) was relieved of her post as a ward in-charge at the hospital.
This happened, in spite of the recent directives from Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to reinforce their directives issued in 2015 directing all heads of health institutions to allow the Muslims to wear their hijab at work and in the schools.
The memo stated, “The nursing administration would like to relieve you of your duties as the ward in-charge of male C II with immediate effect.
“You are to report to the in-charge of Male Observation Ward and resume duties there with immediate effect. She will assign you duties as she deems fit.
You will not hold yourself as a ward in-charge or deputy ward in-charge at any particular time till further notice.”
This was after an incident that ensued between Mrs Beatrice Nyarko and the victim on the January 14, 2019, where Mrs Nyarko upon seeing Adiza Ibrahim in her hijab questioned her why she is in a hijab.
According to Adiza Ibrahim, she responded by saying that, she has seen a copy of the directives of GHS and NMC which allows Muslims to wear their hijab at work and schools.
Mrs Nyarko who was still not convinced even after copies of the directives from GHS and NMC where shown to her, tried to force her to remove it on basis that it is against her safety. But, Adiza Ibrahim insisted that she is comfortable with the hijab on.
Mrs Nyarko then told Adiza Ibrahim that, the hospital is not a Muslim facility and if the Chief Imam should even come to talk to her (Mrs Nyarko), no Muslim would be allowed to wear the hijab in the hospital. This made Adiza Ibrahim to reply to her that, “neither is the hospital a Christian facility”.
A report filed by a journalist with Www.NewsGuideAfrica.com, Adnan Adams Mohammed after receiving complaints from Adiza Ibrahim approached the Nursing Administration to verify the information which they admitted as true. But, denied that it was not because of the hijab issues that prompted the demotion Adiza Ibrahim.
From the Www.NewsGuideAfrica.com
observations and after speaking to some other female Muslim nurses at the facility, they have been denied from wearing hijab since time in memorial against their constitutional and fundamental human right to practice and manifest their religion at anywhere in the country.
The Muslim nurses denied a falsehood told the Www.NewsGuideAfrica.com
by Mrs Nyarko that, the female Muslim nurses decided on their own not to wear the hijab while at work.
Information gathered by the Www.NewsGuideAfrica.com reveals that, MUYAD Social Services, An Islamic NGO, is in the process to help Adiza Ibrahim take legal action against the nursing administration’s decision to demote her
