Religious intolerance in Schools.

A MUST READ There is an attitude thriving so well in most of our Muslim youth that we must avoid. The attitude of being judgemental. We are quick to judge and condemn people of different religious sects (that's more like religious intolerance). I had a teacher that hated me because I was bearing the name Yaw, and when I stood for the Position of senior prefect back in JHS it was a major reason I was almost denied. He was the first master to acknowledge me in form one first term when I scored 99.5% in his subject. the best for three years in jhs, no one broke that record till we graduated. This same teacher later turned against me because of my name, Yaw. But couldn't openly state it he tried using academics as the basis, behind the scenes did everything to reduce my marks on his subject for that purpose, allowing my close contender to seemingly overtake me, luckily enough I had my exam papers to back myself and all the teachers knew my academic capacity. He was sure I wasn't a muslim and demanded it should be given to my supposed muslim contender. Funny enough, back then his subject was my favorite subject (Science) and the subject I consistently massacred most of the terms. Where did he get it wrong? Religion. He was simply, with due respect, religiously 'intolerant'. By jhs two to form three(3), a glusome rivalry brewed between us, much stronger than I could imagine, sparking open abuses from this master from time to time in open class sessions. This had a great negative impact on my academic work henceforth, I never discussed this with anyone because all of them had same perception towards me. My name as know by all was Yaw, that was my crime. My late mum was an Akan, and I was born in an Akan kingdom, a Thursday born, so I was raised and much known by that name. However my dad was a muslim and I lived in a Muslim community throughout my life, and I had a Muslim name I wasn't using in my school register. At that time I didn't even know the impact of an ordinary name on my educational journey. And I was much known by that name. This Science teacher was very discriminatory because he felt I was a Christian. But my acedemic vibrance inshaa Allah was such that the majority of the teachers couldn't overlook it. It took my pretech master back then to get me change Yaw from my register and registered BECE with my official name. And till now I still feel some bitter spot towards my science master despite the fact that I have no ill-filling towards him. Completed Jhs and went to Nansec, a Catholic assisted government school, it was the same attitude the muslim brothers greeted me with. I made few friends because I was not always punctual at mosque, and later I never went to mosque at all, because of the hypocritical, judgemental and condemning attitude of my colleagues and seniors of our beautiful religion. They gossipped and chastised me for it. Attacks here and there. They didn't know I had much more emotional problems dealing with. So with time we hated each other, never understood ourselves. And that obviously affected my perception about my own religion. I hated them, everyone of them for it. Openly I had confrontations with some of them. Later the school administration too was on my trails, finding faults with me because I was using a Muslim name, just as they were on the trails of every single muslim student. You could be forgiven Petty breaches of school rules if you were a Christian, but not when you bore a muslim name. So look, your brothers in the Ummah on you because they felt you weren't a Muslim, and the administration was also on you because they felt you belonged to a violent religion, alongside the emotional trauma I was battling. Nansec was hell for me within that period. How could a child at that stage harbour this and still study for WASSCE? I was almost always at home, sent home to get GHC98 fee I was owing. I never attended dining hall, Library, or any official school gathering if I chose to stay at school. There was a time I stayed on campus taking only bread for two weeks. Until a colleague, a Catholic, informed the dining hall master of my predicament, who swiftly took the matter up, came to visit me in the dormitory and intervened. But it was too late, the harm was already done. I left Nansec, two weeks to WASSCE. Frustrated out of the school. Was given money(150 cedis) to register NOV/DEC whiles at home. And I can tell you my fellow muslims contributed greatly to whatever I went through back then. Sadly rightly so. And Allāh will judge all of us for this inhumane nature of every single muslim. Our Prophet (sws) was a kind gentle prophet. Let's emulate his lifestyle. On this issue of Wesley Girls senior high school denying our sisters their religious obligations, I take the opportunity to stress that, we can do better as a people. Religious intolerance is a canker we can't breed in our midsts. Let's use dialogue to convince people we think are not in the right path. Give them reasons, and let them decide. That's how it should be. Prophet Nuhu( a.s ) preached the Oneness of Allah for 950 years. How many believed Him? 7, 8, and 80 maximum according to the narrations. Until they began threatening his life he never gave up on them. We as a people can do better. Allāh said let's spread love, let your opponents admire your lovely nature and follow you by that example. We can't despise one another. We can do much better. May Allāh (swa) forgive us for our sins we didn't know we were committing. I love my brothers and sisters of the Ummah of Rasulu'llah (sws). And I love our opponents for as long as there is life each one can see the light as Allah Wills it. Becareful how you treat people because they are not for you. Good night. Fellow muslims, let's tolerate one another, only then will the world be the better place we want it to be. By: Shaibu Abdul-Rafique