President Nana Akufo-Addo
For the first time since the avoidable brouhaha over the Ramadan fasting at Wesley Girls Senior High School in Cape Coast made the headlines and triggered banter between a section of Muslims and their Christian counterparts, the President, the father of the nation, has intervened as he calls for a truce.
As a responsible father of the nation, he has doused the incendiary subject which was threatened the age-old faith cordiality which stood us apart from other countries.
That a matter which could have been handled differently and therefore avoided the bad blood that has ensued is unfortunate and regrettable.
Killjoys from both faiths with dirty partisan agenda have found in it an occupation they are exploiting for their selfish ends, their commentaries and remarks anything but useful and conducive to peace.
The advantages in members of the two faiths attending the same schools and learning the diverse cultures of their various ethnic groups through food, dancing and singing among others enhances national cohesion.
There are motley dividends in the study of comparative faiths which is why those who study Christian theology learn about the other Abrahamic faith, Islam.
Diversity of cultures and faiths when managed well as we have in our part of the world has unquantifiable dividends.
Let us avoid the harsh words and language which have dominated the airwaves and social media in the past weeks because they do not help in both the short and long run.
Maintaining the status quo is what we should all strive to do and this we can do in our individual small and productive ways.
We should continue to chart the path of cordiality which has earned us the accolade of the rest of the world.
The things which unite us should be what we should harp on and not vice versa. We have come a long way to the current milestone and anything which can compromise our unity should be avoided with all our strength.
The radical voices from both sides must be ignored in the interest of national cohesion. Confrontation and verbal exchanges are not in our interest. They rather fuel the wicked agenda of bad elements among us.
Members of both faiths should embrace each other as they have always done.
Let us recall our childhood friends, Christians and Muslims, the beautiful memories made at the various strata of education and refuse the temptation to break the bridge of comradeship.
Let us all pray for the leadership of the two faiths as they engage each other on the blind side of us in seeking an amicable solution to the impasse.
Blessed are they who foster unity and restore challenged relationships because those are ways of the Almighty God.