Dr Mahamadu Bawumia: The Muslim who served as Groomsman at his friend’s wedding in 1999

Through some recent engagements of the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, the ever-smiling devout Muslim has added a new twist to the long-standing religious tolerance and coexistence in Ghana.

Throughout the 2020 Christmas period, the Vice President and his wife, Samira Bawumia, were seen moving from church to church sharing in the birth of Christ with Christians across the country.

Some critics of the Vice President, however, accused him of playing politics with religion and trying to gain acceptance in the church.

In a reaction to the criticism, a Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party, Yaw Preko has revealed how the Vice President by virtue of his history has always distinguished himself as a peaceful, tolerant and accommodating person who believed in harmonious co-existence of people even long before venturing into the limelight of politics.

Yaw Preko reveals that Mr Bawumia in 1999 when he had little or no attention on him, served as a Groomsman at the wedding of his longtime friend Professor Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah and had actually visited the Ridge Church several times to worship with the professor before.

“When he accepted to be the best man of Prof Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah during the latter's wedding in church in 1999, nobody knew him. He had visited the Ridge Church a couple of times with Prof to worship. This was far before he emerged in the political limelight and public space. Yes, a devout Muslim, yet, a best man to a Christian friend in a church wedding. It wasn’t a matter then and should not be a matter now. Such is the beauty of the man’s character and upbringing: peaceful, tolerant and accommodating,” he shared with a picture of the Vice President and Mr Attafuah at his wedding in 1999.

According to Yaw Preko, Dr Bawumia by his history cannot be said to be desperate in courting attention and acceptance.

“Yes, the Muslim who was the best man to his friend in church decades ago, and no he was not desperate. He was not desperate even then, and certainly cannot be desperate now. He’s only a man who believes in harmonious co-existence of people regardless of their creed, ethnic background and calling. He’s a man who believes in the age-old saying that, whatever binds us together as a people, is most certainly stronger than what separates us and in our diversity, there’s even a stronger bond, and a stronger sense of purpose,” he added.

The Deputy Communications Director thus urged the public to instead of criticizing the Vice President to rather draw positive lessons from the life of Dr Mahamadu Bawumia.

“By all means, if you think there are things you deem unacceptable about him, please say. However, his love and respect for other religions have never been in doubt.

Don't destroy a good man because of politics. Rather, there’s a lesson or two in the life of this great man, for all of us to learn,” he said.

Read what Yaw Preko wrote below:

I have read a couple of articles trying portray Dr Bawumia as a desperate politician who is trying to gain acceptance in church.

Anyone who believes such an assertion obviously doesn't know Dr Bawumia. He is a devout Muslim who sees a Christian as his brother. Yes he is that open-minded.

When he accepted to be the Best man of Prof Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah during the latter's wedding in church in 1999, nobody knew him. He had visited the Ridge Church a couple of times with Prof to worship. This was far before he emerged in the political limelight and public space. Yes, a devoted Muslim, yet, a best man to a Christian friend in a church wedding. It wasn’t a matter then and should not be a matter now. Such is the beauty of the man’s character and upbringing: peaceful, tolerant and accommodating.

Yes the Muslim who was a best man to his friend in church decades ago, and no he was not desperate. He was not desperate even then, and certainly cannot be desperate now. He’s only a man who believes in harmonious co-existence of people regardless of their creed, ethnic background and calling. He’s a man who believes in the age-old saying, that, whatever binds us together as a people, is most certainly stronger than what separates us and in our diversity, there’s even a stronger bond, and a stronger sense of purpose.

By all means, if you think there are things you deem unacceptable about him, please say. However, his love and respect for other religions have never been in doubt.

Don't destroy a good man because of politics. Rather, there’s a lesson or two in the life of this great man, for all of us to learn.