Protecting ethnic harmony | Editorial

What briefly threatened to turn into a religious intolerance controversy last week has now died down.

Parents of children attending Penal Rock Road Presbyterian School have complained on social media after receiving a notice from the school that students would not be allowed to wear Indian costumes on the Wednesday before Divali.

In response, the Presbyterian Primary Schools Board of Education issued a statement on Wednesday emphasizing that it has no objection to students wearing Indian costumes at any of its 72 schools. The statement added: “The board is concerned that the guidance and advice provided to principals by Ministry of Education officials in education districts has been varied and inconsistent.”

Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has ordered an investigation into the matter, which itself suggests that the ministry is opposed to any ban. If the directive was sent by a lone official of the Ministry of Education (MoE), that person should, if not be punished, certainly be banned from publishing official communications from the ministry.

Most official voices agree on ethnic costumes in schools on national holidays. The Board of Catholic Education has noticed that children in its schools wear ethnic costumes on the occasion of Divali and Eid. Interreligious Organization (IRO) President Dr. Ellis Burris told The Express: “As a Baha’i and a member of the IRO, I have no objection to people expressing themselves in ethnic dress. We promote unity in diversity.”

To resolve this issue, the Ministry of the Environment must issue a final statement on its policy regarding children wearing special clothing. This directive should not make this practice burdensome by requiring students to come in uniform and then change into other clothes.

This is not a complicated issue, even politically (since it is always of interest to government ministers). The vast majority of people in Trinidad and Tobago tolerate all religions and religious practices. If it sometimes seems otherwise, it is only because a small-minded minority receives disproportionate attention when it publicly expresses its intolerance.

Indeed, as happens every year, a few weeks before Divali, several religious fundamentalists tried to demonize Hinduism. This has led to some Hindu commentators calling for these individuals to be held accountable under the Sedition Act. Both sides, confident in their virtue, were unaware of the deeper evils – bigotry and censorship – they were promoting.

Fortunately, the average citizen shares the Trini ethos: live and let live. This is evidenced not only by our history, but by every public opinion poll regarding religious attitudes. For example, when asked in the 2010 World Values ​​Survey whether all religions should be taught in public schools, 88% of respondents agreed. As for the statement: “People of different religions are probably as moral as those of mine,” 83% agreed with this statement, and only 8% disagreed.

Religious tolerance is rooted in our society, and we must never allow the few fanatics among us to disturb this harmony.