Balancing Faith, Rights, and Cohesion: A Path Forward for Religious Practices in Ghana’s Mission Schools
The ongoing debate in Ghana over whether Christian mission schools —historically founded, funded, and operated by churches—must accommodate Muslim students’ religious practices, such as daily salat (prayers) and the wearing of the hijab , has exposed deep fault lines. On one side, Christian leaders assert that compelling these schools to alter their foundational religious character, including mandatory Christian prayers and assemblies, violates their institutional autonomy and the voluntary basis on which parents enroll their children. On the other, Muslim parents and advocates argue that excluding their children’s religious observances constitutes discrimination and undermines the right to freedom of religion. This impasse, while rooted in Ghana’s pluralistic religious landscape, is neither unique nor intractable. Globally, multi-religious societies have successfully navigated similar tensions by applying principled frameworks that protect both individual religious freedoms and the...
