Once again, some few misguided individuals have put the name of Tamale and its good people in the news, not for the good reasons but bringing the city’s name & its people into disrepute. Why? Off late, it has virtually become a fashion across the Tamale metropolis to see and hear that old and young women are being branded and accused of witchcraft. This accused witches are treated with the ugliest treatment.
The good people of Tamale are widely known of their objectivity, fairness, truth and hospitality (not only to their own but to foreigners as well). What has become of all this our unique values & qualities that we sink this low to accuse our hard-working mothers and grandmothers of witchcraft? We have not seen any group of people to accuse of such unwarranted accusations but our good and hard-working mothers. Why? These women (old and young) who have sacrifice their own lives, comfort and happiness to make us what we are today! But we (especially some section of the youth) have nothing to pay them back in return but we busily line up to fish them out and treated with the worst form of humiliation. How pathetic! I don’t think the laws of our land even accept that even someone who has been convicted of murder should be treated the way this weak mothers and grandmothers are treated.
In any case, why should we be so much interested in accusing these women as witches when our region is largely known to be dominated by Muslims? Is that how Islam teaches Muslims to treat people who are perceived to witches and wizards? The answer is a big NO. Are we more of traditionalist (in believe) than the religion we so claim we are?
Even to the best of my knowledge, Islam does not put prominence to these so called powers this perceived witches and wizards have. Their so called powers cannot harm you (as a Muslim) without the knowledge and sanction by the almighty Allah. Why should you call yourself a true Muslim and yet fear this so called witches and their magic even to an extent of harming them, when in fact they are also practicing their form of believe (which they are entitled to per the Constitution of Ghana, once they don’t cross the line as per the laws of our land)?
Some people (especially the youth) will choose to misuse their lives and later on turn round to accuse these weak women of witchcraft when they begin bearing the fruits of their actions and inaction. Sometimes, the flimsy and mere evidence they use to accuse this innocent women is that, they saw them in their dreams. In some cases, a mere disagreement involving this innocent women would be misconstrued to mean an act of witchcraft and a ploy by this innocent women to have a reason to cause their (accusers) down fall. How can you be identifying and smoking out witches, when in fact, you are not a witch or a wizard yourself? This nonsense must stop.
What this people (“witch catchers”) have failed understand is that, women are unique creatures of the almighty and may show some signs of abnormal behavioural change either due to internal and external factors. Psychologists and psychotherapist will tell you that, under certain circumstances, one can behave abnormal especially for women in their latter ages. The so called confession they sometimes utter may not entirely be what it appears to be (even sometimes considering the inhumane treatment meted out to them to confess). The so called confession can equally be driven by fear and confusion in their minds (and may utter something they are not even aware of).
To those who call themselves Muslims and still engage in this act of branding other people’s mothers witches, it will get to turn of their families one day and there they will you see how painful it is to accuse other people’s mothers as witches. If they are not lucky, it will be their real mothers (at that time, they can do whatever they wish to do to them). In any case, why are they always catching witches but not wizards? Are there not men who are also wizards? This is simply an act of injustice. If there is even some iota of truth in what they accuse this women of, why don’t they take them through the legal justice delivery system of the land? Or they are not entitled to justice? If they (witch catchers) still have some instinct in them, they should listen to what the Quran say ” O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kind, be he rich or poor, Allah is a better protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is ever well acquainted with what you do (4:135). A word to a wise…….?
My appeal to the chiefs is that, they try as much as possible not to encourage this kind of indiscipline especially among the youth. Otherwise, the wicked act of this few individuals will consume all of us.
The sad part of all this is that the accuse persons are normally women and in some most cases, they are old and weak. Women who are mostly perceived not to have someone to protect them are the ones who are accused of these shameful accusations (witchcraft). There are some powerful women, who in one way or the other are “perceived” or alleged to be witches but because they are coming from big families and also have powerful children to protect them, this so called “witch catchers” dare not accuse them, not to talk of humiliating them. Where is the fairness? In any case, is it only the women in Tamale and its envious or northern region as whole that has witches? Is that how other part of the country treats their so called alleged Witches? We must wise up.
This perceived witches in some cases are the bread winners of their families and when they are finally accused and caught, their children pay the heaviest price because they will be discriminated and eventually drop out of school due the humiliation they go through in the hands of their colleagues. And I must say, all this things are contributing to making our region unpopular and underdeveloped leading to poverty and discrimination of our people.
I humbly use this opportunity to call on the Ministry of women children and social welfare, DOCVSU, the good chiefs of Tamale, the clergy, the police, civil society organizations and all well-meaning Ghanaians to condemn this happenings and institute measures to prevent such things from happening. If care is not taken, this could yet be another window that could ignite the already patched wound of the Region. The city of Tamale is already faced with a lot of acts of indiscipline (Sakawa, reckless driving & riding etc.) and this should not also be allowed to flourish.
Note: This my write-up was inspired by a sermon delivered by Sheikh Ibrahim Basha (Bayaan).
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