The Muslim Stakeholder Organisations and Institutions have taken exception to a release regarding their petition to President John Mahama headlined “Resetting Hajj”.
In a reaction signed by Alhaji Mohammed Habib Alhassan, the stakeholders pointed out that the National Chief Imam was aware about their petition, and that it is not true that the spiritual head was unaware.
This, they added, is evidenced by the fact that the Chief Imam directed his protocol officer to take custody of the copy of the petition sent to President Mahama.
Continuing, the stakeholders stated that “we reiterate our position that His Excellency the President assured Muslim leadership of establishing a permanent Hajj body to manage Hajj operations with transparency and accountability. However, we haven’t heard that he has reversed this decision…. by involving individuals with a history of mismanagement of Hajj operations and leaving behind huge debts.
“We maintain that taxpayers’ money should not be used for Hajj operations, and demand a comprehensive report on the previous Hajj organisations in Ghana before entrusting any group with Hajj management,” they said.
Their position, they said, is reinforced by the unfortunate experiences of 2024 and 2025 where over 28 Ghanaian pilgrims lost their lives, hundreds went missing and hundreds banned from entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for five years, adding that “we continue to support the President’s reset agenda and urge him to prioritise reforming Hajj operations in Ghana to prevent such incidents in the future.”
The stakeholders, in taking exception to the contents of the release which prompted this statement, pointed out that “we the petitioners have taken note of a certain claim and assertion made by an individual purporting to act on behalf of the National Chief Imam.”
The stakeholders disputed the position of the said release which stated that the National Muslim Conference is the sole representative of the Muslim Ummah. They expressed surprise that the same imams making up the Conference are being disrespected by the content of the purported release from the Chief Imam.
“We advise our Muslim brothers and sisters, particularly politicians in Parliament promoting this organisation, to exercise prudence and responsibility in their words and actions.
“They should refrain from sowing seeds of discord in the Muslim Ummah for their political agenda,” they stressed.
The stakeholders are made up of multiple organisations among them the Ahlunsunna Wal Jam’a, Shia Muslim Community in Ghana, Tijaniya Muslim Movement of Ghana, Faidatul Tijanniya Brahimiya Council, National Council of Zongo Chiefs, Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Ghana, Coalition of Muslim Organisations, Ghana and Jammat Tabligh, Ghana, Conference of Regional Chief Imams of Ghana and Istiqama Muslim Mission.