According to a report by Malawi Nyasa Times on 17 May 2021, the Muslim community of‚ Mosiya village, Machinga, in eastern Malawi, has given a Catholic church parish 21 days to vacate what they term "Muslim territory". The ultimatum comes after a dispute over the church"s policy of not allowing Muslim pupils attending church primary schools to wear a hijab. In a letter to the church authorities, the Muslim community described the church"s policy regarding the hijab as "discriminatory and a disgrace". The letter included the threat: "We will use whatever means to force the church to move its parish in the area, especially if it fails to bow down to our command".
Yonas Dembele, World Watch Research analyst, comments: "Although Malawi is a Christian-majority country, 67% of the population in Machinga adheres to Islam. In this region, disputes have often arisen over religious dress in schools, despite the fact that the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, belief and thought. For instance, in October 2019,‚ a standoff in Balaka District between an Anglican parish and Muslim communities over the wearing of hijabs led to four government-funded schools being
closed for eight weeks‚ and serious violence (2019 International Religious Freedom Report - Malawi). Similarly, in October 2020, Muslims‚
set fire to a head teacher"s office‚ at a primary school in Mpiri, Machinga, because he turned away female pupils who were sent to school in hijabs (AFP, 28 October 2020). If such incidents and threatening behavior continue to occur, they have the potential to undermine the religious tolerance that otherwise exists in the country."
