Mrs. Buhari's Dress: Memo to moral Sheriffs by Jaafar Jaafar

Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari who is currently in the U.S for some official engagement, arrived the airport on Wednesday donning a long sleeve suit over an ankle-length skirt which some Muslims online described as "un-Islamic and 'indecent'. Below is Nigerian journalist, Jaafar Jaafar's thoughts on the issue.

"In the narrow view of social media puritanical mimics, Aisha Buhari's appearance in English dress in a recent visit to the US depicts nudity. Not just semi-nude in the mould of bikini or lingerie but Nude!

 

The fundamentalists would argue that Nigerians are dumping their culture for Western culture, but they forget that even the kaftan, the kufta, the flowing gown we use were not originally Hausa dress. We borrowed them from the Magreb. The kufta President Buhari spots on world stage is Morrocan dress. I do not want to delve into culture issue because recent history has shown that Africans first promoted nudity by using skimpy grass skirts before Westerners modernised it into fabric. There is still a tribe in Adamawa State that maintain this culture.

 

The hypocrisy of Nigerians is always unusual. Don't be surprised to find fornicators, paedophiles, drunkards, lesbos, fags, pimps and voyeurs among the tribe of social media moralists haggling over the appearance of the Nigerian first lady. Of course some may be morally upright. But may I put this zinger to the closet sinners: how would you climb atop mountains of your sins to gratify your voyeuristic instinct and then come out to preach morality? Thou shalt heal thyself first!

 

Dr Muhammad 'Abd Rahaman Al'Arifi wrote in his book, Enjoy Your Life, that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was known for giving excuses to those who habitually err and thinking good of those who sin. Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported a Hadith in which the Prophet asked his disciples not to abuse or curse a habitual alcohol drinker. Now take the case of Aisha Buhari's dress that precipitated all manner of abuse. Drinking alcohol is kaba'ir, while wearing English dress is NOT. Let me also remind them that speaking of evil is bigger sin than wearing English dress! Doesn't this clearly show the fanatics have derailed from the Prophet's teaching?

My brother, Aliyu Nuhu, puts it aptly when he wrote of Mrs Buhari's appearance: "Anyone used to long haul trip of 13 hours will not wear traditional dress. Aisha dressed simple and smart. After rest she dressed in her usual native dress." But even if she did not change to "native", I see nothing wrong in that.

 

While there are so many glaring failures of Buhari administration that should spark riot or public outrage, the social media fundamentalists rather went riotous because of simple English dress that is neither g-string nor see-through gown. Prices of fuel was increased recently. They celebrated. Children of the rich were given automatic employment into choice agencies. They defended the action. Naira is crashing daily. They are mute. The First Lady wears English dress. There is rage.

To me, let the First Lady appear in micro-mini skirt if microeconomy of the nation will improve or inflation rate will reduce or naira will gain value.

 

During presidential campaign, we shouted ourselves hoarse giving the president a national outlook, erasing the stereotype that the president was a religious bigot and ethnic champion in order to make him both acceptable and electable to all Nigerians.

 

It saddens me to see Buhari's latter-day supporters proving the president's critics right. The "hailers" want him to be 'theirs' alone, respect the values of Muslims and northerners ALONE, and refuse to identify with other ethnic and religious groups that make up Nigeria.