UMCF praises Government over warning on hijab brohaha

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Accra, Feb. 26, GNA - Alhaji Ahmed Nii Nortey, the Executive Director of the United Muslim Christian Forum (UMCF) has praised Government for threatening to sanction heads of institutions, schools and workplaces that compel Muslim women and girls to remove their hijab.

He said this was not a religious intolerance, but also a breach of the 1992 Constitution, adding that, Government was not doing Muslims a favour but it was her responsibility to ensure that the rights of all citizens were respected irrespective of religion, tribe and ethnicity, and language.

Alhaji Nortey gave the praise when he granted an interview to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday.

He said this was a constitutional breached under Article 21(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution   of Ghana, which states that 'all persons shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice'.

Alhaji Nortey said: 'Given that the constitution guarantees, as part of the fundamental freedoms, the freedom of 'any religion and to manifest such practice', it was wrong to force any individual to abandon her/ his faith.

'It is equally wrong to force Muslim women and girls to disrobe or take off their hijabs at their places of work or schools, I am urging Government to closely monitor the situation and apply sanctions to heads who are found contravening this basic constitutional right.'

The controversy was sparked following media reports that Muslim women and girls are being forced to take off their hijab, a traditional covering worn by Muslim women over their heads to the neck and sometimes their face in public, including workplaces and schools.

The United Muslim Christian Forum was established to recognize similarities between Muslims and Christians, diminish differences and seek a new solid foundation of joint respect based on the unchallenged commandments of God and love for the blessed Messengers of God.

By taking time to recognize similarities between Muslims and Christians, the UMCF seeks to collaborate on projects that improve the community, society, and the world by building on a foundation of joint respect based on submission to Almighty God and love for the blessed Messengers of God. Become a member of the UMCF and take the first step to unity through dialog sessions, joint activities, events, conferences, and socials.

The aim is to first and foremost, encourage humanity and morality and the goal is to develop a humanitarian view by all - behaving in a way that respects each other's rights and values and promotes universal neutral commands from the Gospel and the Holy Quran.

GNA