A working groups in session
The Chairman of the Muslim Caucus of Parliament, Banda Ben Abdallah has advised Muslims to steer away from the disruptive meddling of politics as they discuss the leadership of the faith.
He was speaking on Saturday during the opening session of a three day conference at the Accra Technical University, themed, “Enhancing the Capacity of Muslim Leadership for Ghana’s Development”.
He said that the partisan nature of politics, when allowed to enter the fray of Muslim leadership, would add to the existing challenges posed by sectarianism in the faith.
“We must endeavour to suppress political and sectarian difference in all our engagement with one another. However, we must respect and maintain our sectarian faith,” he said.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South Constituency who was speaking at the opening of the maiden National Conference of Muslim Representatives also mentioned ethnocentrism, intolerance and selfishness as vices that should have no place steering the affairs of Ghanaian Muslims.
Muslim stakeholders during the programme tackled myriad challenges that hinged on rights of Muslim women and leadership structures among others.
On how politics has over the years impacted negatively on Islam a senior journalist, A.R. Gomda, in his presentation on the contribution of Muslim leadership to Islamic development gave an account of how political influences affected Muslim leadership in the past.
“Under the regime of Kwame Nkrumah, an Imam was removed from office as Imam of Accra because some Muslims didn’t want him there and pressure was mounted on Nkrumah to have him removed from office,” he said.
The issue of leadership among Ghanaian Muslims, he said, had over the years suffered conflicts leading to disunity among the Islamic front.
“The search for leadership for Muslims in the country continues. With the architecture now changed, the prominent existence of various sects and above all, the incumbent National Chief Imam being the first to hold the position, underscores the importance of such a conference,” he said.
He also mentioned that much needed to be done regarding the establishment of structures to provide the faith with the needed sustenance to play its role in national development.
The chairman of the conference, Alhaji Mohammed Gado who is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the National Chief Imam highlighted the need for Muslims to harness resources and pull talents together in a strategic and organised manner for the good of members of the faith.
He also advised that “we need to establish our own schools, especially secular schools from nursery to senior high school to cater for our children.”