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Muslim students and their parents are now weighing the importance of both religion and education. (IOL photo) |
NAIROBI -- Muslim parents are threatening to take measures against the Catholic Church over its plan to ban the wearing of hijab in its sponsored institutions.
"Religion is not something to be trifled with," Mustafa Salim, a Muslim parent in the port City of Mombasa, told IslamOnline.net.
"The Catholic Church has taken a turbulent direction that can disrupt the education of our Muslim children and that can even bring more trouble."
The Catholic Church plans to ban the hijab, threatening to send home hundreds of Muslim students for wearing hijab while studying in its operated institutions.
The controversy first started when the Catholic Church said it would consult its constituent churches to hatch a plan to ban Muslim students from wearing hijab in its sponsored public and private schools.
Salim is now weighing the importance of both religion and education to his 10-year old daughter Sahra, the apple of his eye.
But he is undoubtedly ready to pluck his daughter out of her Church-sponsored school.
"I am sure this is a thorny issue, but if the church goes on with its plan of putting Muslim parents between a rock and a hard place, we are saying that we have our own Islamic restraints and we can move our children elsewhere for education."
The Catholic Church in Kenya sponsors numerous private and public institutions, particularly in the countryside where many cannot easily access services.
There are nearly ten million Muslims in Kenya, which has a population of 36 million.
Muslims make up nearly 98 percent of the communities of the North Eastern Province.
Boycotting
Muslim leaders have been marshalling a bold effort to force the Church to cede its initial statement of threatening to ban hijab.
"This is a very serious issue that will see a collision of course between Kenya Muslims and Christians," warns Sheikh Sharif Katamy, an official in the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM).
The heated standoff has been grating on for the past days and Muslim parents were urged to remove their students from the Church's institutions.
"We urge Muslim students not to study in schools owned by the Church," said Sheikh Katamy.
The Muslims are also threatening to boycott businesses fully operated by the Church.
"We are thinking of how to paralyze the church’s activities including boycotting the intuitions fully operated by the church," said Sheikh Katamy.
"We are thinking of halting all affairs we have had with the Church. We are also telling the Muslim community to cease transacting any business with the Church."
Muslims leaders say they are counting on boycott as a measure to oppose the Church's position which they say is an affront to their faith, modern day decency and also against Kenya’s freedom of worship.
The government tried to lower the temperatures of the boiling controversy, asking the Church leaders to rescind their move by allowing Muslim students to continue wearing the hijab.
But the Catholics have since demanded the government to withdraw the directive and await further consultation and dialogue between the church and State.
Sheikh Mohamed Dor, an outspoken Muslim scholar and a parliament member, said religious leaders will soon meet to issue a fatwa concerning the Church's plan.
"The Church has pushed us to the wall, we will be issuing a fatwa about this," he told IOL.
"Muslims should not fall back in this matter, this is our Constitutional right."
For now Muslim parents like Mr. Salim will be forced to interrupt the education of their children if both the Church and Muslims fail to reach a common ground.
"We will be standing by our religion if the hijab is banned. We will not think twice about that."
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