Sam Pee Yalley
The Coalition of Muslim Organization (COMOG) has asked Sam Pee Yalley, the immediate past Ghana’s High Commissioner to India, to retract his disparaging statements and apologize to the the Muslim Community in Ghana.
The coalition, in a press statement signed by the General Secretary, Hajj Abdel-Manan, said that the recent statements attributed to Sam Pee Yalley about turning the Flagstaff House into a mosque smack of religious bigotry.
The coalition, in the statement, called on Ghanaians to ignore and proactively condemn unguarded inflammable statements from the NDC member.
In addition, they indicated that the statement was an exaggeration and not suitable for social cohesion.
“As a nation that prides itself in the peaceful co-existence between members of different religious persuasions, such acts of bigotry and Islamophobia from no less a person than Mr. Yalley must be condemned by all peace-loving Ghanaians,” the statement said.
COMOG therefore called for the respect of the rights of all Ghanaian citizens and for that matter Muslims who must be accorded the dignity they deserve.
“Dr. Alhaji Bawumia is the second gentleman on the land, and as humble as we know him may have sought permission from President Nana Akufo-Addo and perhaps other officials before the first-ever Iftar took place there,” the statement said.
“We therefore find it unfortunate that Mr. Yalley decided that Muslims’ presence at the presidency is a nuisance since no law was broken.”
“This statement is condescending, as it attempts to direct the Vice President to organize Iftar at poor areas like Fadama, etc.
They averred that it was quite misplaced for a non-Muslim, who is compound ignorant about Islamic Jurisprudence to tell Muslims where to observe Iftar in the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The group, which made reference to prayer meetings that were held by former Presidents Prof. Mills and Mahama, said the fact that Mr. Yalley had no problems with these meetings shows that he is not concerned about hosting religious events at the seat of the government.
“His statement against the Iftar event at the Flagstaff House is an expression of intolerance to the manifestation of Islamic practice in public and the promotion of the fear of Islam and Muslims,” they noted.
Mr Yalley, in a Radio Gold programme, said, “You remember when Professor Mills was praying in the Castle; there were the hullabaloo that he was turning the Castle into a church. Now; I am not against Muslim religion; what is Bawumia doing? Every evening, people have to go and break their fast; if I were Bawumia, I will not do a thing like that; I would rather go to the poor areas of Fadama, Zongo to go and break my fast with the people there. We should stop all these façade. If you say somebody was turning the castle into a church, you cannot also turn the flagstaff house into a mosque. This religious bigotry should stop.”