Dignitaries at the lecture
The importance of interfaith harmony in the country was given a boost last Saturday when the Hijra Club, an Islamic non-governmental organisation (NGO) hosted a panel discussion on the subject at the National Mosque, Kanda, Accra.
The lecture was part of a series undertaken by the Club as its contribution towards peaceful coexistence between the various faiths in the country.
The main speaker was Dr. Adam Yunus, Head of Research and Programmes at the Baraka Policy Institute, whose mastery of the subject was not in doubt as he delved into how to ensure that interfaith peace prevailed in the country.
The interfaith harmony prevailing in the country, according to him, was not by accident or chance but due to prevailing factors.
Mediating factor of elders such as the National Chief Imam and others, he said, have contributed towards the peace being enjoyed in the country.
The expression of religious diversity in politics as played out during the observance of the Night of Power in Parliament, which is graced by both Muslims and Christians, is a factor whose role in ensuring interfaith harmony should not be overlooked.
Diversity, he said, is the way of God, who he added created it so that we shall know each other. As a reality of creation, he said the problem with us human beings is our inability to manage diversity, which remains a part of nature.
“The wisest thing to do is acknowledge diversity because we cannot do anything about it. We should find ways of harmonising our differences,” he said.
God, he quoted from the Holy Quran, said that “the most important among you is those who are righteous.”
It is for a purpose that humans were categorised into tribes, ethnocentric groups and religious orientations, he said, adding that wrong perceptions constitute some of the factors leading to stereotyping.
He disputed the notion that Ghana is not a religious country, arguing that all Ghanaians believe in the existence of God, and wished the citizens would come together to fight actions or practices which have the tendency to breach our common values as in the matter of LGBTQI+.
“Christians and Muslims share common values and believe in the monotheism of God,” he said.
Diversity, he said, exist even within same faiths, pointing at examples of the speaking in tongues which not all Christians believe in. In Islam, the Sunnis and Shias differ on some subjects and would engage in hot arguments to defend their stances, he said.
The prevailing peace, he cautioned, should not be taken for granted but requires more work to be done.
He recalled flashes such as the issue of veiling and otherwise in some educational institutions as some areas requiring attention, adding that peace is not absolute.
Ignorance, he stressed, is a factor responsible for interfaith disharmony. He recalled how some Muslims erroneously think that members of their faith should not set foot in churches and, therefore, finding it absurd and wrong for the National Chief Imam to enter a church. Only ignorance and limited knowledge of Islam would make a Muslim think this way, he explained.
Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, on his part, told the gathering how the Catholic Church holds Islam in high esteem.
The Catholic Church, he said, has opened a department dedicated to enhancing the relationship between members of the Catholic faith and Islam.
The lecture, a muster parade of sorts, brought together top Muslims such as Rear Admiral Muniru Tahiru (rtd), Maj Gen Abdulai Kardo (rtd), Alhaji Mohammed Alhassan, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) and a Council of State member, Alhaji Yusif Daresalam, Alhaji Sami Suka Brimah, all members of the Hijra Club and Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu among others.
It was indeed an interfaith engagement as Father Palmer-Buckle and other Christian clergy proffered their submissions.
- Dignitaries at the lecture