Towards averting religious crisis in Osun

The front page photo of The PUNCH, Wednesday, February 5, 2014, shows that the fire of trouble is being fanned in Osun State.

A teacher in the secondary school I attended used to say that all you need to have trouble is to trouble troubles. A wise man does not meddle with the nest of insects that sting without necessary protection.

When the Osun State Government decided to embark on the ill-thought out merger policy, many of the cries of the Christian community fell on deaf ears. While there is nothing wrong with Muslims wearing hijab to Muslim schools, everything is wrong with them wearing it to Christian schools just as it would be very wrong for any student to wear a cassock or choir robe to a Muslim school.

If a school has a mixture of Christians and Muslims and it is deemed secular, the best is for pupils to wear a common secular uniform.

The situation where pupils of Baptist High School, Iwo, wore hijab, cassock and regular uniforms to school, as reported on Wednesday by the newspaper is a demonstration of madness.

Tomorrow, a child whose parents worship Ifa or Osun River may also decide to wear Ifa attire to school.

Anarchy is on its way if something is not done in time. If the schools are to remain secular, school authorities should be able to insist on what is considered to be the standard in the schools. God forbid that these events would not lead to fighting along religious lines before the end of the week. You only know when a battle begins but no one can tell when and how it would end and the likely casualties.

The Osun State Government should avoid unwarranted explosion as fast as possible!

•‘Niran Olatona, Magodo Phase1, Lagos State, +234 8034624986