Kano State to arrest parents of Miss Nigeria Shatu Garko due to religious beliefs

In Nigeria, parents of the newly-crowned Miss Nigeria Shatu Garko may be arrested for allowing their daughter to participate in the said pageant, citing religious beliefs.

Garko, an 18-year-old of Kano State recently became the 44th Miss Nigeria. She is the first hijab adorning Muslims to win the beauty pageant.

Kano State Hibah commander Haruna Ibn Sina described Garko's participation as “illegal” and does not align to Islamic beliefs.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Sina said participating in a pageant is “forbidden” for Muslims from Kano, a northern Nigerian state with strict Sharia practices.

While the beauty queen wore her hijab to the event, Sina was firm that what she did was against Quranic instruction.

"It is maganarar haram to talk about the beauty pageant … because, first of all, the sanctity of Islam is violated in it. not, that they should be taught not to be ashamed," Sina said.

He added that women "should cover themselves" with veils and reveal their private parts to no one except for their parents, husbands, or children.

"This indicates that it is harmful for a girl as a believer to do such [competition]," he added.

The commander also added that Garko's parents, who are living in Kano, will be brought into custody and interrogated for their role on their daughter's participation in the beauty contest.

The Hisbah police have been strictly enforcing their "Islamic provisions" on people of northern Nigeria whether elite or the masses.

Currently, they have banned "tailors, supermarkets and boutique owners from using mannequins to display clothes in the state."