By Deborah Hassan
The Kano State Hisbah Board has ordered a radio station in the state to desist from further use of the term, “Black Friday”, for its special sales adverts. This is because the Board regards Friday as a holy day in Islam, and so any reference to the day as black is derogatory.
Hisbah is the state agency which enforces Sharia law in compliant states, including Kano.
The Kano Hisbah has been in the news for making tasking demands on inhabitants of the state, in its determination at upholding Islamic tenets.
The agency is particularly notorious for catching young males with funky hairstyles and shaving off the hairstyles; harassing women for alleged indecent dressing and destroying multi-million naira businesses because the owners engaged in the sale of alcohol.
Concerning the “Black Friday” slogan ban, the Kano Hisbah in a letter to 96.9 Cool FM radio station ordered an immediate stoppage of all adverts connected thereto.
Signed by a Principal Executive Officer II, Abubakar Ali, on behalf of the Commander-General, Hisbah, the letter stated thus: “I am directed to write and notify you that the office is in receipt of a complaint for the conduct of ‘Black Friday Sales’ on November 27, 2020.
“Accordingly, we wish to express our concern on the tagging of Friday as ‘Black Friday’ and further inform you that the majority of the inhabitants of Kano State are Muslims that consider Friday as a holy day.
“In view of the foregoing, you are requested to stop calling the day ‘Black Friday’ with immediate effect and note that the Hisbah Corps will be around for surveillance purposes with a view to avoiding occurrence of any immoral activities as well as maintaining peace, harmony and stability in the state.”
365Daily notes that only the National Broadcasting Commission,NBC, empowered by an Act of the National Assembly, is saddled with the responsibility of regulating/sanctioning broadcast stations on matters of content.