By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin
A meeting between the Kwara State Government and Christian and Muslim leaders on the controversy generated by the wearing of the hijab by Muslim students in mission schools in the state ended in a stalemate yesterday.
Both sides, it was gathered at the meeting with the representatives of the state government led by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, refused to shift ground on their hard line postures.
Muslim leaders in the state had during the week urged the state government to impress it on the authorities of mission schools now being grant-aided by the state government to allow their wards to wearthe hijab to school.
The request generated a lot of furore on both sides of the religious divide, forcing the state government to hurriedly shut down 10 missionary secondary schools in the state.
A source at the Friday meeting said “both Muslim and Christian leaders stuck to their guns. While the Muslim representatives insisted that their wards must be allowed to wear the hijab as they have a court judgment which permits the wearing of hijab by Muslim students.
The Christian leaders, however, disagreed, saying they would not allow that in mission schools.
The Christian leaders gave Muslim pupils in the affected schools the option of wearing caps or withdraw from the mission schools and go to Muslim schools where they can freely wear the hijab.
“The meeting ended without a resolution of the crisis. For now, the state government has promised to make its proclamation on the matter on Monday next week,” a source said.
The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday called for calm and peace, saying “we must not allow the issue to spark religious crisis.”
In a statement, PDP’s spokesperson in the state, Tunde Ashaolu, urged the parties involved to be tolerant, exercise caution and not allow the hijab to cause enmity between the adherents of the two religions.
He emphasised the need for all parties to respect subsisting court rulings on the matter, noting that any party that is not satisfied with the judgment should seek redress in the court and not take the law into their own hands, in the interest of peace.
The statement reads: “Kwara is well known as the State of Harmony, and the people of the state have been living in peace and unity.
“We must therefore not allow the issue of hijab to spark religious crisis in Ilorin or any part of the state.
“We call on all parties involved to exercise caution, tolerance and not allow the issue to create tension and enmity between members of the Muslim and Christian communities.
“We must also be careful not to sow seed of discord in the minds of innocent, young students.
“We understand that there is a subsisting court ruling on this matter. We therefore appeal to all concerned parties to respect and abide by this judgment.
“Any party that is not satisfied with the order should seek redress in court and not take the law into their own hands in the interest of peace and stability of our state. Ours is a society that is guided by laws.
“Our party also calls on the state government to be proactive, handle the matter with utmost caution and not allow it to degenerate into a crisis.
“We implore the Government to learn how previous administrations were able to manage the matter.”
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