MSSN wants religious freedom in Kwara schools

The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in Kwara State has asked the state government to prevail on the management bodies of all public schools in the state to allow students of the different religious persuasions to observe morning assembly prayers according to the dictates of their religions.

The MSSN said this was necessary to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the state’s public schools.

The body condemned a recent incident in a school in Ilorin where the school’s Imam was allegedly molested by some staff members when he attempted to pray the Islamic way immediately after the Christian prayers were said on the assembly ground.

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The incident, according to a statement signed by the MSSN chairman in the state, Malam Nurudeen Ibrahim, occurred on Friday, June 21, 2019.

“Muslim-dominated Ilorin is one of the most peaceful cities in Nigeria. Muslims in Ilorin, like others everywhere, are accommodating and tolerant. But our tolerance and peace-loving nature are exploited as a basis for the desecration and infringement on our rights, religion and cultural norms.

“Thus, we received the above devastating news with a mix of umbrage and shock. We state that forceful proselytization of students and assault of Muslim in a public academic institution is not only condemnable and below the minimum standards of tolerance or civility expected in a democratic society, but also a violation of natural law as well as all known human rights instruments across the globe by the culprits.

“It is equally a violation of Section 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” the statement said.

“We urgently call on relevant stakeholders to quickly ensure a thorough investigation and all the culprits involved in this dastardly act must be brought to book and to put in place measures to prevent a repeat of this situation, especially across all educational institutions in Kwara State.

“The continuous discrimination against Muslims across all educational institutions must be stopped. On a final note, we request for the immediate permanent closure of the school till all the Muslim freedom/rights are restored in order to forestall a breakdown of peace, security and order,” the statement said.