Senegal: Prime minister forces Catholic schools to require girls to wear the Islamic hijab

But remember: any concern about Islamization is simply racist, bigoted and “Islamophobic.”

“Senegal: Clash over Islamic Veils in Schools,” FSSPX News, October 3, 2024 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

This is not a new issue, but one that comes up periodically: Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has “stirred controversy by asking all schools to allow young girls to wear the Islamic veil,” according to La Croix, even though it is forbidden in Catholic schools. His statement caused quite a stir and has seen a resurgence in recent days.

Catholics represent around 2.7% of the Senegalese population. But Catholic schools are greatly prized for their academic results, despite their cost. In fact, a “portion of political leaders attended these schools, including the current new President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was elected in March,” La Croix recalls.

The Pulse website reports that “Catholic establishments are divided between preschool, elementary, middle-secondary, technical and vocational training, as well as higher education.” They accommodate around 120,000 students, of whom only 28% are Catholic, Vatican News notes.

A Tradition Rooted in Catholic Education
As early as 2011, “the Direction de l’enseignement catholique du Sénégal had issued a circular banning the Islamic veil in Senegal’s private Catholic establishments,” Pulse recalls. This directive led to the dismissal of around twenty students from Cardinal Hyacinthe Thiandoum School, causing a dispute between Muslims and Catholics.

In 2019, the Institution Sainte Jeanne d’Arc in Dakar turned away 24 high school girls because they wore the veil, and the new rules required “an uncovered head.” After negotiations with the State, the pupils were reinstated, RFI explains, but with “a suitably-sized veil, provided by the school and which does not obstruct the uniform.”

However, “the school management made it clear that this amicable agreement was for this school year only.” There was no question of granting the same exemption for the following year. The justification for this change was the inadequate behavior, in the eyes of the school, of veiled pupils who refused to follow several school rules, including wearing uniforms.

A Prime Minister Opposed to Catholic Schools
At the end of July, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko declared that “Some things can no longer be tolerated in this country (…). In Senegal, we will no longer allow certain schools to forbid the wearing of the veil,” La Croix reported on August 7….