Accra, April 29, GNA – The Coalition of Muslim Organisations of Ghana (COMOG) has called the Minister of education to intervene in the alleged prevention of Muslim girls from praying on the campus of Wesley Girls Senior High school.
They also called for thorough investigations and to punish those who would be culpable.
“As Ghanaians, it is about time we crafted a national policy that will safeguard our cherished peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance, particularly for our Public educational institutions.”
A statement signed by Abdel- Manan Abdel- Rahman, President of COMOG and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday said: “Many Muslim students especially girls and ladies have and continue to suffer discrimination at public schools, hospitals, as in the alleged case of Wesley Girls SHS in Cape Coast in the Central Region.
The current action that has been carried widely by media houses and also gone viral on social media is a typical example of intolerance on the part of the Headmistress of Wesley Girls SHS, and her administration where they barred Muslim students from prayers, meetings and even the ongoing Ramadan fasting. Where are the Human Rights activists”?
According to the statement Wesley Girls had ignored the 1992 Constitution Article 21 (c) which states that: “All persons shall have freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice.”
“The COMOG therefore wishes to call on the Minister for Education to sanction the Headmistress of Wesley Girls SHS which is a public educational institution for ignoring the constitutional provision by abusing the rights of the innocent students to send a signal to Headmasters/Headmistresses of her kind that Wesley Girls SHS and other schools are public educational institutions and that her administration has no right to do what she is doing to Muslim students as though the school is a private institution.”
The statement said religion had over the years been exploited in dividing and precipitating most of the global conflicts than any other factor and there was the need to safeguard peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance and national cohesion.
“COMOG is therefore calling on the Minister for Education to punish the Headmistress to serve as a deterrence to others if they are found culpable.”
GNA