Haramization of haircuts: is Islam against innovation?

This question has become necessary following the recent report of the arrest and imprisonment of a young Christian barber for blasphemy in Kano state in northern Nigeria. There have been similar incidents of religious persecution and victimization of non-Muslims in the region. And these examples highlight a disturbing trend in Islam as practiced in northern Nigeria – opposition to innovation. Or better, haramisation of new ideas, different lifestyles and as in this case, hairstyle. There are serious concerns about how Muslims practice their religion, especially where they are in the majority in Nigeria.

Muslims tend to tyrannize over the lives of non-Muslims. They force them, sometimes violently, to live according to the precepts of Islam. As the case of the Christian barber has amply illustrated, given the opportunity and the power, Muslims deny non-Muslims the same rights they enjoy. Look, a Christian hairdresser and two of his clients are in jail for a haircut. Yes, a haircut and nothing more. Islamic Police in Kano, Hisbah said the hairstyle was haram; that it was offensive to Islam. And they went and arrested and jailed this barber for this boss.

Now think about it, how can a haircut insult religion and its prophet? Didn’t the Prophet of Islam cut his hair while he was alive? Didn’t he have a hairstyle? What if some people thought it was offensive? What’s the deal of the Islamic police with another person’s hairstyle? As often, the Muslims of Kano have remained silent. The Islamic establishment is silent. The Imams, Sheikhs and Ulama did not condemn this act of religious persecution and sectarianism.

It is assumed that their silence implies approval. Whether they tacitly or explicitly support this affront to human dignity and strive to Islamize Kano. So what’s going on in majority Muslim states across the country? How is Kano state changing? A Taliban Afghanistan in the making?

I mean, is Islam opposed to expressions of creativity and innovation? It appears to be the case. Although some Islamic apologists may argue the opposite. They would say that Islam encourages innovation but forbids expressions that offend or insult religion or its prophet. They would say that in this case, the barber’s innovative hairstyle offended or insulted Kano’s Muslim sensibilities. Really?

Look, something innovative is new, which means it’s a departure from the past – the norm of the past. It’s different – a different idea, style, or form. Creative expressions disrupt existing knowledge, shapes and styles. Any innovative idea therefore tends to “offend”. It is likely to displease or discomfort especially those who are interested in things as they are. In a diverse and dynamic society, innovative ideas are imperative. Innovation drives change and progress.

Kano is a culturally diverse society, so different lifestyles, dress, and lifestyle apply. Diversity relies on creativity and the ability to invent and find new and other ways of doing things, including getting a haircut. The arrest of the Christian barber is therefore an exercise in suppressing and criminalizing diversity and creative ingenuity.

By imprisoning this barber for an innovative haircut and illegally detaining Mubarak Bala for expressing other views and opinions on the Prophet of Islam, the Islamic Police and by extension, the Muslims of Kano are zealously espousing a form of Islam that opposes innovation.