Comatose Peace Council Resurrects, Announces Action In Wesley Girls Anti-Muslim Impasse

The Peace Council has announced it is engaging all interest groups involved in the impasse that arose from Wesley Girls Senior High School disallowing some Muslim students from fasting during the just past Ramadan.

In a statement released to the public, the Council says that it started a planned series of meetings at the Methodist Church where it met with the leadership of the Church on May 10, 2021.

It is curious how the Peace Council has suddenly jerked into action after incessant accusation of partiality for virtually going to sleep amidst all the violence and misuse of state powers by the Akufo Addo administration.

According to the slumbering Council, it has met with Wesley Girls’ Old Girls’ Association, and the Parents-Teachers Association of the School on Monday, May 10, for facts on the issue.

“The Central Regional Peace Council also met with the Authorities of the School on Monday, May 10, to hear exactly what took place regarding the student who was allegedly denied her practice to fast in the ongoing Ramadan”, the statement said. 

It is signed by the Chairman of the NPC, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi, who asked all persons to be circumspect with their commentary on the issue as the Council works to resolve the impasse.

During the just-ended Ramadan fast, a Muslim parent of a student of Wesley Girls withdrew his daughter from the school in protest of the school’s policy of disallowing students, including Muslims from partaking in fasts of any form.

The issue became a raging talking point with members of the Muslim community accusing the Wesley Girls authorities of religious intolerance. This led to the GES asking the authorities to relax the school’s rules on fasting for students who wish to fast.

However, the Methodist Church, which is the parent church to the school defended the actions of the school, writing to the GES to declare the Church’s resistance to the GES move to thwart the standing traditions of the school.

The ensuing escalation of a battle of words saw the Deputy head of the Scripture Union, Rev. Dr. Onwona, sending very hard words of warning to the President and the ruling party.

The NPC’s statement asked all parties involved to cease fire and contribute to the process it has started to heal the situation.

It said the NPC will continue to engage other key stakeholders including the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, the parents of the concerned child, and the leadership of the Muslim group to, which the student and her parents belonged.