THE ASSOCIATION OF LIBERAL MUSLIM-GHANA :Upholding Constitutional Values: A Call for Inclusivity through religious tolerance. WESLEY GIRLS, AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ACADEMIA
For your immediate release
Date 26th November, 2025
To all media houses.
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana stands as a beacon of freedom and justice, guaranteeing every citizen the right to practice their faith without fear of prejudice. Article 21(1)(c) explicitly secures the right to freedom of religion, while Article 17 underscores the principle of equality and non-discrimination. These provisions are not abstract ideals—they are living guarantees meant to shape how we build an inclusive society.
1. We are genuinely dismayed by the rapidity and ferocity with which individuals, including educated persons who ought to be aware of the implications, have deliberately trivialized this grave matter of human rights infringement, unconstitutional conduct, and discrimination against Muslim students by reducing it to frivolous claims, such as the notion that no Masjid (Mosque) should be constructed in a missionary school. This is shocking, as neither brother Shafic Kwabena Osman nor anyone supporting this cause has ever posited such an argument. This has never been the crux of the issue, and it is intellectually dishonest for anyone to feign otherwise.
2. Brother Shafic Kwabena Osman’s lawsuit petitions the Supreme Court to declare that Wesley Girls Senior High School cannot infringe upon or restrict the constitutional right of Muslim students to practice their religion, including praying, fasting, and observing fundamental Islamic obligations.
These rights are guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution, and no institutional preference or historical affiliation can supersede them.
3. The lawsuit further challenges the school’s policy prohibiting Muslim students from practicing Islam, arguing that such a policy is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and inconsistent with Article 21(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion to all Ghanaian citizens.
Denying Muslim students the opportunity to practice their faith constitutes systemic discrimination.
4. As Wesley Girls is funded by the state, regulated by the Ghana Education Service, and integrated into the national school placement system, it cannot impose policies that suppress the religious rights of students who are Ghanaian citizens.
Taxpayer funding and state oversight entail responsibilities, and the school cannot invoke denominational privilege as a shield to violate constitutional rights.
5. Muslim students must be permitted to practice their faith freely, without coercion, punishment, or discrimination, provided their actions do not disrupt academic work or school order.
The lawsuit is not seeking any privileges beyond those already guaranteed by the Constitution. It is a matter of fairness, equality, and protection from discrimination.
6. To reiterate: the lawsuit is not requesting Wesley Girls to construct a mosque. It is not asking the school to become an Islamic institution. It is not asking the school to relinquish its Methodist identity. It is not asking for special privileges for Muslim students. It is not asking for Islamic doctrine to be taught in the school.
7. Muslim students should have the right to pray, fast, and observe their religious obligations without being denied, punished, or humiliated. These are fundamental freedoms, not favors.
8. Ultimately, this case concerns the supremacy of the Constitution, the protection of fundamental rights, and the dignity of Ghanaian students. It is about ensuring that no school, regardless of its religious heritage,should deny citizens their constitutional freedoms. Upholding these rights is not optional; it is a moral and legal imperative that the Supreme Court must enforce.
Comrade Umar Harris
………..Signed………..
Executive director
0241201991 /0509995378
