Wa, April 18, GNA - The Coalition of Muslim Organisations, Ghana (COMOG), has expressed concern about the issue of not allowing Muslim children in Christian mission schools to openly practice their religion. The Coalition said the practice did not only deny them of fully practicing their faith but also violated their constitutional rights as citizens of Ghana. Major Retired Alhaji Mohammed Easah, the National President of COMOG,tabled the concerns at the Third National Muslim Youth Leaders Summit at Wa on Sunday.

The two-day summit which brought together about 200 Muslim Youth across the country was on the theme: 93Family Life and community Development: the Challenge of the Muslim Youth". Alhaji Easah therefore called on the government to discipline Heads of such institutions in order to bring the practice to an end. Alhaji Issahaku Salia, Upper West Regional Minister, said the understanding of non-Muslims about Islam was completely different from its true picture.

He therefore urged COMOG to tell the true story of Islam for the non-Muslims to understand that Islam meant peace, truth, sincerity and reconciliation.

Alhaji Salia said Islam was founded on the basis of education and tasked COMOG as an umbrella organisation to ensure that education of the Muslim youth was not relegated to the background. He stated that about 30 per cent of Muslim girls enrolled in school elope before their Basic School Certificate Examination and called on all Muslim leaders to work towards reversing the trend to ensure progress among the youth especially the girl child. The Regional Minister said government had particularly targeted schools under Islamic Education Units for the provision of classroom facilities based on the fact that education was key to the realization of the 93Better Ghana Agenda".

Alhaji Salia said many English/Arabic Schools were beneficiaries of the Ghana School Feeding Programme and assured the people that many of the schools would still be brought on board to benefit from the programme.

Alhaji Dawud Rashid Yahaya, Upper West Regional Chairman, COMOG, stated the objectives of the summit to include the strengthening of the national youth platform for championing youth development issues. It also seeks to develop a strategy to promote youth and human rights within Muslim communities and the country at large. The summit would draw a youth development manifesto to support Muslim youth activities including education, health and governance. Madam Miriam R. Iddrisu, a Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the sponsors of the summit noted that the behaviour of some Muslims had helped fuel the perception that Islam preached the suppression of women.

She urged COMOG to play an influential role in validating and promoting best practices for preventing gender-based violence and its related problems. 18 April 11