A former student of the popular Wesley Girls’ Senior High School has alleged that her alma mater has always taken a strong stance against Muslims who gain admission to the Methodist-founded school.
According to Samira Sulemana, a practising lawyer based in the United States, while she was there, not only did the school prevent her and other Muslim students from fasting but they were also prevented from observing the daily five prayers that all Muslims are mandated to observe.
Her allegations come in the wake of a controversy that has been stirred by revelations that the coveted all-girls school recently prevented Muslim students from observing the Ramadan fast.
“The issue these girls are facing goes beyond just the fasting. I am surprised that all that is being talked about is the fasting. They are not allowed to pray, they are not being allowed to even talk to each other as Muslims.
“And so the concentration on only fasting kind of baffles me. Wesley Girls’ has never given due recognition to Muslim students,†she told JoyNews on the evening of May 10, 2021.
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However, a former Vice President of the Old Girls Association of the School, Harriet Wereko-Brobby, rebutted the allegations with the explanation that the decision of the School not to allow fasting must not be seen as religious discrimination.
According to her, the school has taken a hard stance because some students have suffered health complications after fasting.
Ghanaians expressing their views on social media, however, appear split in their opinions over the decision of Wesley Girls’.
While some believe it is within the right of the school to ban students from fasting, others think otherwise.
Those who believe the rule is unfair say Christians who attend Islamic Schools are allowed to practice their religion without any hindrance.
Meanwhile, outspoken legal practitioner, Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare, known popularly as Prof Kwaku Azar, has said the recent incidents where school rules have clashed with religious rights highlight the need for public schools to separate religious doctrines from the Constitution.
“It is time for public schools to understand and apply the separation of church and state doctrine. It is time for the church, mosque, synagogue, shrine, temple, etc. to divorce themselves from the ownership, control, direction etc. of public schools,†the Accounting Professor stated on Facebook.
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