President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the leadership of various educational institutions not to turn schools into a religious battlefield and ideological warfare.
He made the appeal at the premises of GBC while speaking at this year’s Eid ul Fitr celebration.
He said Christian and Muslim communities must preserve Ghana’s religious tolerance over the Wesley Girls fasting brouhaha, assuring Ghanaians that his government together with other stakeholders will address the issues.
“We should be proud that our national Constitution simply reinforces these characteristics, and it should, therefore, be easy for us to uphold these fundamental tenets that hold us together.”
“The boarding schools in our country have traditionally served as the training grounds in learning about each other, about tolerance, and losing the fear of the unknown. That is where young Ghanaians learn to eat each other’s food, that is where they learn songs and dances of the different parts of the country and also where they learn about each other’s religion and a place for lifelong friendships are forged.”
“Throughout the years, the schools have by and large managed to find a reasonable, balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish and this has served us well. The schools have evolved and adapted their practices to suit the times and I would urge that we do not turn them into the place to fight ideological battles.”
He thus thanked the national Chief Imam for the leadership shown in the matter.
“I thank the Muslim community in Ghana for the continued support for my program of transformation. Insha Allah, I shall continue to work with and for you for the peace, progress, and prosperity of our country. Jama, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, for his exemplary leadership not only of the Muslim flock but also of our country generally.”
“The National Chief Imam is the very epitome of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. He continues to make our country the envy of the world for its religious tolerance. His inter and intra-religious co-operation is amazing and sets Muslim communities in our country for which we owe him a great debt of gratitude,” President Akufo-Addo added.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke