Catholic church closes 7 schools in Mangochi over hijab impasse with radical Muslims
The Catholic church has closed seven public schools it owns in Ntaja area in Machinga after a radical Muslim organisation went on the prowl, forcing students to put on hijab and threatening to burn down the schools if the church resisted.
Mangochi education diocesan secretary Felix Masamba said a radical Muslim grouping called Hijab Task Force was invading the schools, telling every girl to put on a hijab in classes.
“They are threatening to destroy the schools if the girls are not allowed to put on a hijab so we have temporarily suspended the classes to allow discussions on the matter between the Muslims Association of Malawi, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi and the government,” he said.
Masamba said as owners of the school, the Catholic church wants all girls to put on school uniforms, not the religious dress code.
“They have been issuing all sorts of threats, including violent protests, this is why we thought we need to give dialogue a chance,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from the grouping or the Muslim Association of Malawi.
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Its true religious matters
Yeah in fact mufakileko nzeru ife tikufuna ana athu azivala ma hijab osati zomangovala like ndima christians
citizen no 1. ai sizoona kuno ku Thondwe sitipanga zimenezo olo ana ena angotengeka kuti aone zimatani ukavala kolona
asalamu why always force matters.U start shit n u cant finish it,this mess u are doing there,soon we will here that asalamu akukwapulana okhaokha. you have eyes but cant see ,n big ears n can listen.
You muslims are useless with your Mohammed. You cant see the wisdom of building your own schools? To help with you and your mohammed.
You are stupid Alex. Muslims are not without procedure. They involved the government on this matter. There is a government circular allowing the girls to dress islamically in public schools. In case you don’t know. Muslims will never assert their rights in full in schools that are fully christian. They do that in schools that are grant aided, meaning schools that get funding from government, taxes paid by malawians, muslims inclusive. If they want to ban the islamic dressing then let them privatise the schools just like mtendere junior rate which is 100% run with catholic money and no malawians’… Read more »
Now that they have closed where are your children with hijab going learn? You were supposed to differentiate between fully government aided and partially government aided. If you had gone to school you could have learned the difference between government departments and parastatals that parastatals have some independence in making some conditions of service that are somehow different with the government policies. These schools are not fully government funded and the defense you are putting doesnot hold and shows how shallow or ignorant you are on these issues. You think when they have closed the government or yourself will just… Read more »
Moslems, please build schools in mangochi. Your children must be going to Islamic schools. Do we ( christians) go to your schools and prescribe our dress code? No. Actually, we dont go to your schools. Catholic schools are for Catholics and fellow christians. Please please.
Your so called christian schools are using government money to which muslims contribute through tax. Make the Christian schools fully private, stop using our taxes and we will not make noise about islamic dressing. As long as you tap money from government then they are public schools to which everyone can go and have rights, including the freedom of dressing. after all the muslims are not refusing to put on uniforms. They only want longer dresses and a head cover just like masisitere, just like Mary the mother of Jesus appears
If the Catholic Church wants all girls to put on school uniforms, is the rosary and forced baptism that non-Catholic girls are being forced to wear and undergo, part of the school uniform? I visited my ward at St Anthony’s Girls Boarding School in Thondwe and found her wearing a rosary and that they are forced on them as well as being forced to be baptised into the Catholic Church against their will and religious doctrines. How do you assist and deal with this?
You lie brother. I attended a catholic school they actually allocated from 1C classroom for nine Catholics to use as a prayer room. In those days if you so wished you could ask for a cross transfer to a school of your religion. You could arrange to go to Robert Blake from Mtendere. Suzyo apa didn’t unhindered.