Two weeks ago we commenced series of write ups meant to showcase contributions of notable Islamic personalities towards advancement of the religion in Ghana. Our first two write ups emphasized forcefully the peace Ghana is currently enjoying as partly due to good Islamic practices laden with neighborliness, being promoted in the affairs of the nation as directed by Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) 1400 years ago.
As was expected, many people accepted points made in the articles but a few people who had the opportunity to read the pieces on line, for no known reasons, have begun raising doubts about the credibility of my claims that Muslims in Ghana led by the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu and other Islamic leaders are largely promoters of peaceful coexistence in the country .It is true that Ghana is touted as one of the most peaceful nations of the world with a tag of its citizens being very hospitable.
This situation has been achieved with the contribution and support of all including Muslims in Ghana. However in view of the worldwide phenomenon of emerging radical groups in Arab nations wanting to overthrow the existing governance systems to establish Islamic states, many are those who are expressing doubts that we in Ghana may soon give in to the operation of extremists who would wreak havoc on moderate Muslims, Christians and the government that the jihadists consider western oriented.
What is more frightening is the emergence of BOKO HARRAM operating close to Ghana in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroons and some North African countries like Somalia and Libya. The fear has been that the activities such as suicide bombings and attacks on government installations like oil pipelines as happening in Nigeria may soon occur in Ghana. Some of the readers went on to say that the only stock in trade of Muslims is to convert people to Islam through force by waging war on innocent people.
But Ghanaians together with the Muslims dotted in all parts of the country in the Zongos will disappoint the “doubting Thomases”. Since the bombings of the twin towers in new york in the US ON 9/11 Some jihadists have tried over the years to enter and use Ghana as their center of operation without success because they could not find willing allies in Ghana. Ghanaian Muslims are wide awake and therefore will not tolerate extremists and terrorists. As time goes on we shall open up to explain this situation in our reports to Ghanaians and the world at large.
Yes it is true that nasty conflicts are occurring in Ghana over a period of time between Muslim factions and conflicts involving Muslim settlers against non-Muslims leading to loss of lives and injuries as happened at old Tafo near Kumasi the Ashanti Regional Capital recently over a portion of cemetery land.
We have been experiencing chieftaincy, partisan and land disputes. However we do not believe the situation in Ghana can deteriorate to the level reached in Nigeria, Syria, Libya and Somalia. The reason is that religious leaders and education authorities are good at counseling their followers using texts of their religious books. Muslim leadership in Ghana in particular will not give in to the infiltration of radical Muslim bodies such as Alshabab, BOKO HARRAM, the Talibans and Islamic jihad.
The Muslim leadership in Ghana has been embarking on teachings of Islam for Muslims to fight in the way of Islam but would not go to the extent of urging them to use arms to exterminate many people in the name of Islam. Instead the Muslim leaders and the entire people in Muslim settlements in Ghana have given in to using friendly means of persuading non-Muslims and Muslims with different beliefs to understand Islam. This is done through regular preaching in mosques and open spaces and in books and articles and on radio and television programs throughout the country. Muslims are closely linked to Christians together in communities, markets, workplaces and schools where they live and work together peacefully as one people in one nation with a common destiny.
During festivities of Muslims and Christians everyone in Ghana joins in celebrations especially as the Christian and Muslim festivals are declared holidays. During these periods food and other gifts are exchanged freely between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Due to the good relationship existing among Muslims and Christians in Ghana, they do not allow conflicts that occur to fester into violence between them. The National Peace Council (with the help of the National Chief Imam and other religious leaders) has always acted swiftly to deal with any emerging conflicts in the country. One thing that seems to be helping matters is that the constitution of Ghana does not allow political parties to be formed on the basis of religion, ethnic or regional groupings. For that matter all political parties in Ghana consist of all ethnic and religious groups.
To ensure peace at all times the civil society groups working through Center for Democratic Governance (CDD), Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) and Institute of Economic Affairs ( IEA) together with religious groupings including Muslims have been working together as coalitions to assist in peaceful elections and in all national matters .Having achieved a great deal of success so far it is our belief that Ghanaian Muslims working throughout Ghana with their Christian counterparts will continue to work for orderly development of the country.
The other nations of Africa that are involved in unending wars must have to come over to learn from Ghana’s example of peace neighborliness peaceful coexistence, hospitality and love for strangers. Nigeria and other countries must know that the situation in their countries is due to the unending religious and ethnic conflicts being stretched too far.
If they continue this way they will continue to destroy their nation’s infrastructure, especially in Nigeria where the avengers are destroying oil pipelines as they fight for regional power for Biafra. In the northern Nigeria’s Borno state for example members of BOKO HARRAM are busy wreaking havoc by killing people in towns and markets in their attempt to create an Islamic state. We learn that the government of Nigeria under General Mahamudu Buhari has dealt a blow to BOKO HARRAM and is likely to defeat them.
We pray that these wicked people would be routed out permanently to salvage the girls captured in Chibouk School now being kept in the Sambisa forest in Nigeria to bring lasting peace to Nigeria and its neighbors that include Niger Cameroon and chad and Ghana. Divisive tendencies are also responsible for the catastrophes ‘in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Somalia where many people are losing their lives and millions are getting displaced.
Apart from the desire by the extremists to rout out the existing political systems to create Islamic states what is more damning is that the raging conflicts in these nations is due largely to infiltration by “money bags” that do not have anything to do with Islam. Most of the people fighting to institute Islamic states in Nigeria and other nations of Africa have been found to be non-Muslims. Though they cannot read the Quran to be able to offer prayers as Muslims do, they are hired by some war mongers to fight to overthrow legitimate governments for them.
According a news story captured in Nigeria on line most of the BOKO HARRAM terrorists who were captured recently were found not to be Muslims. According to the Nigerian military forces that captured them they were found not to be Muslims for they could not read the Quran nor recite the opening sura of the Quran “al Fatiha”. When the training centers of the terrorists were captured no Qurans, hadiths or Islamic literature were found. Instead arms, ammunitions, drugs, charms, condoms and all sorts of drugs like sex enhancing drugs were found on them.
With this information at hand the time has come for the government of Nigeria and those in Cameroon, Chad and the North Africa and Middle East to team up to investigate the backgrounds of all infiltrators with the view to dealing with them once and for all. The contributions of Muslim leaders past and present are responsible for the good situation in which we find ourselves in Ghana. We thank all these leaders and pray that God gives them the much needed strength and energy to push on. Allah bless them
Some of The personalities mentioned above some of who are who alive are but a few of those we need to remember, study and follow their pious steps taken to provide leadership for Muslims in Ghana. It is our candid opinion that Muslims leaders must consider combining their efforts to take the following steps as done in some nations: Call for papers or biography on all Muslim leaders especially those who are no more with us. Those men and women should include Chiefs’ Imams’ preachers and leaders of all the recognized bodies With the information gathered we would be able to have biographies of Muslims and a “who is who” book for Muslims. This is being done in other advanced countries We can also use the information gathered on the past leaders to push through programs to follow their footsteps We may also institute days in the year to remember these men
This way we would succeed in remembering the contributions of our heroes or living legends.
TO SUCCEED IN OUR PROGRAM to honor our living legends WE HAVE OPENED A CHANNELL FOR PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS GATHERING INFORMATION ON MUSLIMS GENERALLY THROUGH OUR CONTACTS: No contribution is too small or too big. Contact and contribute to us on 0274853710 or 0264370345