'No respect for faithful'

2003-05-04 21:22

Neels Jackson en Marlene Malan

Cape Town - The dissatisfaction over government's concept policy on the instruction and practise of religion at schools spread over the weekend when the Dutch Reformed Church and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) sharply criticised the draft policy.

While the Dutch Reformed Church threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court if the policy is accepted, the MJC said the minister of education was trying to create "a new religion that shows disrespect and no sensitivity for the country's faithful".

The council said it would insist on further negotiations with Education Minister, Kader Asmal.

Dr Louis Dressel, a member of the youth commission of the Dutch Reformed Church, said they had had several meetings with the minister to outline the church's opposition to the draft policy.

In a letter to Asmal, the synod indicated that the church saw the right to freedom of religion as one of the most important values in the constitution and that this right had to be protected.

'Too academic'

Sheik Faadiel Abdullatief, education spokesperson for the MJC, said on Sunday the Muslim community had several reservations about the draft policy.

"It is too academic and it proposes a neutral approach to religion.

"Our criticism is that people at grassroots level, such as principals, governing bodies, teachers and pupils, were never consulted."

Abdullatief said Muslim children mainly attended public primary schools and private high schools were they could freely practice their religion.

"Under the Schools Act, nobody may be turned away from a school.

"Schools must continue to make plans on how to handle different religions."

- Die Burger