Addis Abeba– Forty-four female Muslim students at Dilla University have alleged that they were barred from entering the campus for wearing the niqab, a religious attire, with some reportedly staying in a mosque for over five days.
According to students interviewed by Addis Standard, wearing the niqab was allowed in previous years. However, they claimed the university recently prohibited it without prior notice, citing “security concerns.”
One student, who requested anonymity, said the ban started about a month ago but was initially not strictly enforced. “Initially, it wasn’t strictly enforced,” she said, adding, “Our ID cards used to be confiscated, but when student leaders intervened, the guards would return them to us.”
The student further noted that the issue escalated late last week. “One of our friends was returning from buying food outside the campus when she was told to remove her black mask and show her face,” she said, adding that the student was informed she “couldn’t wear a black mask while wearing a hijab.”
She also claimed that later in the afternoon, two other female students attempting to enter the campus through the university gate located near the mosque were reportedly denied entry for wearing niqabs.
“Since then, students wearing the niqab have been repeatedly told to either remove it or refrain from entering the campus,” she said, adding that despite submitting multiple written complaints to the university administration, they had not received any response.
Another student, who also requested anonymity, alleged that the university has ignored their formal complaints. “Our complaint letter has been dismissed under the pretext of ‘we’ll respond soon,’ but no resolution has been provided,” she told Addis Standard.
She explained that the situation intensified on Monday, 20 January, 2025, when “the chairperson of the Muslim Students’ Association was summoned and informed that anyone wearing a black mask or niqab would not be allowed to move freely within the campus or leave and return.” She added that students were warned, “Those who disobey this directive would face action.”
The student further alleged that on Monday evening, “students wearing black masks were allowed entry after receiving warnings. However, seven of us who wear the niqab were denied entry and have been staying in the mosque for over five days.”
Nuredin Abdela, Chairperson of the Muslim Students’ Association at Dilla University, confirmed to Addis Standard that repeated efforts to resolve the matter with university officials, both in writing and in person, had not produced solutions.
“Many Muslim students have been staying in the mosque for the past five days. During this time, they have not been able to sit for exams or complete assignments required of them,” he said. He also alleged that students wearing black masks who attempted to enter the campus faced intimidation from security personnel.
The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, in a letter dated 23 January, 2025, addressed to the Ministry of Education, called for a permanent resolution to what it described as the “violation of Muslim students’ rights at all educational levels, solely due to their Islamic attire.”
The council said it had been engaged in discussions to address the exclusion of Muslim female students due to their attire. It also reminded the Ministry that it had sent three letters this month alone concerning the issue but stated that no adequate response had been received.
The council emphasized the need for an immediate and lasting resolution to allow Muslim female students at Dilla University to resume their studies without obstruction.
Efforts by Addis Standard to contact the Dilla University administration for comment were unsuccessful.
However, in a brief statement posted on its social media page, the university denied allegations that “Muslim female students have been banned from wearing the hijab,” describing the circulating reports as false.
“We want to clarify that, both in the past and present, wearing the hijab has not been prohibited at our university,” the statement added.
The issue at Dilla University comes amid similar grievances reported in Axum town,located in the Central Zone of Tigray region, where 160 Muslim grade 12 students were excluded from registering for national exams earlier this month after refusing to remove their hijabs. Despite court rulings and directives from the Tigray Regional Education Bureau guaranteeing their right to wear religious attire, schools in Axum reportedly defied these orders.
Subsequently, thousands of Muslims protested in Mekelle on 21 January , 2025, demanding action. Sheikh Adam Abdulkadir, President of the Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, criticized authorities for failing to enforce the rulings. “Our daughters are still being denied access to education despite clear rulings and directives,” he said. AS
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