Private legal practitioner, Obiri Boahen, has called for a more liberal and tolerant approach in the ongoing, often heated, discussion concerning the allowance of students to practice their respective faiths within secondary schools.
The lawyer and former Deputy National Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) asserted that there is no legitimate objection to permitting Muslim students to practice their faith in non-Islamic secondary schools, or conversely, allowing Christian students to attend church in Islamic schools.
He argued that compelling students to adhere to a specific religious practice within a mission school that is not their own is fundamentally incorrect.
“This is my personal opinion. I believe we need to be liberal. We should be tolerant of each other’s beliefs. If we have an Islamic school and we have Catholic students who do not wish to associate with Islam, we should allow them their belief. If we have a Catholic school and some of the students do not wish to join the Church service, we should be tolerant of them. We should not impose any religious practices on them.”
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Boahen cautioned that this unnecessary dispute could be a recipe for chaos and must not be permitted to escalate.
He further urged those attempting to politicize the issue to desist, stating that such actions have the potential to disrupt national cohesion.
“As I said, students who are not Methodist should not be forced to practice Methodism. They should be allowed to practice what they believe in. The only area I would draw a firm line is regarding examinations; every student must write their exams and cannot use their religious beliefs as an excuse not to participate.”
Mr. Boahen went on to advocate for broad accommodation, suggesting, “There is nothing wrong if we have a secondary school where there is a dedicated facility where those who adhere to Traditional African Religion can worship. What is wrong if we have an area dedicated to Buddhists to also practice their faith? We have to be tolerant of each other’s beliefs.”
He expressed a controversial sentiment, stating his “excitement” that the current incident occurred under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
He claimed that if the same issue had arisen under a Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia presidency, the latter would have been heavily criticized and insulted because of his Muslim faith.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
