The leader of the Muslim Peace Building Network Uganda has given the Ministry of Health a one week ultimatum to rescind its ban restricting Muslim nurses and midwives from wearing veils during their work, or else they lay down their tools.
The Ministry of Health recently prohibited health workers who subscribe to the Islamic faith from wearing veils when carrying out their duties in health facilities.
But Mutyaba Mustafa who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Muslim Peace Building Network Uganda says this discriminates against Muslim health workers and violates their religious rights.
In a letter written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, Mustafa expressed dissatisfaction towards the policy which he says puts the Muslim nurses and midwives at a disadvantage at the workplace as it affects their wellbeing.
“Uganda has a fundamental duty to allow her citizens to carry on with their duties without discrimination. It is therefore illegal to have a policy which puts someone of a particular religion at a disadvantage including refusing them to veil, yet the veil is part of their faith,” Mustafa wrote to the Ministry.
Making reference to the Public Service guidelines on dress code which were issued last year, Mustafa notes that civil servants are required to dress decently. He says that according to the Islamic faith, the veil is the highest symbol of decency.
As such, the Network has given the Ministry a period of one week to address the issue of contention, short of which Muslim health workers will mobilize themselves and lay down their tools “to show dissatisfaction against this ban”.
They have also threatened to hold demonstrations across the country to protect the anti-veil policy.
Our relentless efforts to reach the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Dr Atwine by phone were futile as she is attending a summit in the U.K.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health, Vivian Serwanjja said that she is yet to access the directive that the Muslim Peace Building Network Uganda are making reference to.
“I want to get my hands on the directive these people are referring to and establish what the circumstances were. Unfortunately, my Minister is out of the country,” she said.