Authorities have published a new regulation that breaks the ban on using religious symbols in schools in Senegal. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko sparked heated controversy in August in this overwhelmingly Muslim West African country, famous for its understanding between its communities, by warning establishments that they would reject headscarves in school. The Ministry of Education published on Tuesday night, October 8, a decree that establishes new guidelines for educational establishments the day after the start of the school year.
These rules guarantee “respect for religious beliefs including the acceptance of the use of religious symbols, such as the veil, the cross, sacred pearls, without prejudice to the clear identification of the student within the school premises, in classes and during educational activities »specifies article 5 of this text.
Catholic school attacked?
In August, Sonko sparked outrage from the National Council of the Laity, which brings together the country’s Catholic associations and movements, because his comments were perceived as directed at Catholic schools.
“Some things can no longer be tolerated in this country. In France they constantly tell us about their lifestyle and style, but that belongs to them. “In Senegal, we will no longer allow some schools to ban the wearing of the veil.”he declared July 30 during a ceremony honoring Senegal’s top students.
Several Church officials denounced the comments of Mr. Sonko, appointed head of government by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, winner of the presidential elections at the end of March.
Controversies over the use of the veil are not new in Senegal. In 2019, twenty-two Muslim high school girls were expelled from class at a renowned Dakar Catholic school, the Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc Institution, for wearing the headscarf during the start of the school year in September. They were later readmitted after a compromise between the establishment and the Senegalese State following an intervention by the Vatican.
