The 18-year-old Garko became the first hijabi to win the the pageantry since its inception in 1957.
Shatu Garko has attracted a lot of goodwill since she became the first hijab-wearing Muslim to win the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant last week, but she’s also caught the unwanted attention of Hisbah.
According to Hisbah, the pageant is forbidden by Islam, and that the 18-year-old should never have been involved.
The official said the contest teaches ladies to not be shy and reserved, and encourages them to expose their bodies.
We have confirmed that Shatu Garko is a Muslim from Kano State and her parents come from Garko Local Government Area. Kano is a Sharia state and this is why we won’t let the issue rest,” Hisbah police had said.
However contrary to report circulating online, the commandant-General of the Hisbah board, Sheikh Harun Ibn Sina, has denied inviting p the winner of the 44th edition of Miss Shatou Garko for questioning.
This was just as he also denied that it has invited the parents of the beauty pageant winner for questioning.
Ibn Sina described the rumoured quizzing of Shatou as the handiwork of mischief-makers.
He noted that the Hisbah authorities in the state did not extend any formal or verbal invitation to Shatou or her parents.
Ibn Sina said rather Hisbah only cautioned against the putting of attires that contradicts Islamic injunctions noting that clothing that exposes sensitive parts of feminine bodies is strictly unacceptable.
It will be recalled that a publication stated that the Kano State Hisbah Board had condemned the emergence of Shatu Garko as the winner of Miss Nigeria 2021, saying it was forbidden for Muslims to participate in any affair that is against Islamic doctrine
Ibn Sina, in the publication, said that participating in the beauty pageant is against the teachings of Islam and the northern culture.
The Hisbah board is responsible for the enforcement of the Sharia law in northern Nigerian states that have implemented the Islamic code.
Its actions have been constantly condemned by human rights activists who consider its code to be repressive, especially against women, and outdated.
