Even the name mortuary is bad – Chief Imam shoots down NDC's promise

The Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Shaikh Abdul Mumin Haroun, has kicked against a promise by the opposition National Democratic Congress to make available mortuaries for use in Zongo Communities across the country.

Speaking on Okay Fm on Wednesday September 23, 2020, the Regional Chief Imam questioned the rationale behind the idea and suggested the NDC could have come up with better ideas if they truly mean to make an impact in Zongos.

“How do you build mortuaries for Zongos, how? How? Even the name mortuary itself is bad, what is kept at mortuaries? We don’t learn there, it is dead bodies that are kept there…because our prophet has entreated us to read if they had promised One Zongo One Makaranta that would have been better,” he said.

He lamented that despite the NDC saying they consulted extensively with the leadership of Zongo communities before coming out with the promise, his office was never engaged on the matter before the promise was out doored.

He suggested that the NDC could have alternatively promised to build funeral homes instead of mortuaries which he described as insulting.

“If they had promised One Zongo One Funeral House that would have been better. But the name mortuary is it good? Is it good if someone says he will build a mortuary for you? He wishes you death and he is insulting you on top of that,” the Imam stated

Shaikh Abdul Mumin opined that the NDC is only seeking to cause an abomination with its mortuary promise whiles they could have pledged something better such as schools.

“We Muslims don’t keep our corpses for long, if a person dies in the morning he would be buried by midday…So how do you promise us mortuaries, how many people will be kept at the mortuary? If you are not seeking to cause an abomination what else would be your motive about the Zongos? So, we are the ones who deserve mortuaries, we don’t deserve schools we don’t deserve Makaranta or anything good? Our children who do not have access to education is not important to you, you want only your children to be educated whiles our prophet has entreated us to acquire education?” he questioned.

There is a growing division among Ghanaian Muslims over the NDC’s promise to make available mortuary facilities for Zongos should there be voted back into power.

The National Democratic has sought to clarify their promise saying they do not intend on building whole mortuaries in the Zongo communities specifically, but to make available spaces in health facilities which will be dedicated to Muslims only.

The facilities according to the NDC is to help members of the Zongo community keep and prepare their dead for burial in accordance with Islamic customs.

However, the promise whiles gaining some support for the NDC has also generated opposition from some Zongo members and leaders who are speaking up against the NDC promise