National Chief Imam of the Shia New Year Message

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. May the Peace and Benediction of Allah be upon His Noble Messenger and Prophet Muhammad, his household, the faithful ones among his companions and those who follow them sincerely till the Day of Judgment.

I hereby felicitate the Ghanaian Christian community and the entire African continent on this auspicious Christmas celebration. I congratulate all Christians in Ghana, and the entire world on this great and auspicious celebration of the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ (as), the grand miracle and messenger of God.

Hail be Jesus Christ (as), son of Mary (as) the heralder of justice and morality. Blessed be his mother (as), Holy Mary (as) who brought blessings to the people when she gave birth to her son, Ruhullah (Spirit of God in Arabic). Jesus (as), son of Mary (as), was born so that human being could wholeheartedly enjoy the pleasure of freedom, peace and security. Thus we Hail Jesus (as), servant and messenger of God, on the anniversary of his birth, the day he will demise and the day he will resurrect. Qur`an 19:33-34.

Human's history will never forget the peaceful, liberating, friendly and seeking justice movement of this noble, miraculous birth and life-giving prophet (as). Jesus` teachings whenever and wherever give not only Christians credit and respect but Muslims and the entire mankind as well. With the celebration of this sacred festival of the birth of Jesus (as) and the New Year, I express hope that the peace, humility, piety, forgiveness, unity and solidarity between and among Christians and Muslim communities and nations would be further consolidated by adhering to the teachings and guidelines of Jesus Christ the son of Mary(as). I hope we all continue working closely for the sake of furthering and strengthening the interfaith unity, tolerance, trust, friendly relations and cooperation existing between Christians and Muslims, and members of other religious denominations in the country. I congratulate all Muslims on the auspicious birth anniversary of the final messenger and prophet of God Muhammad (saww). I beseech God to bless all Muslims, and urge the Muslim world to tap into all its potential to meet the needs of the oppressed people in Gaza which is one of the fundamental challenges confronting Islam. I reiterate that unity, tolerance and peace among Muslims, the issue of Palestine and making a clear-cut distinction between the notion of pure Islam of the Prophet Mohammad(saww) and the secular style Islam are among the most important issues facing the present Muslim world. I therefore call on Muslim nations, intellectuals and scientific, political and religious elite across the world to set aside their differences, and use all their means to help the oppressed Palestinian people and the liberation of Quds.

I also use this medium in congratulating the government on the successes of 2014 Hajj. While commending the government for the numerous forms of support extended to Muslims which ensured a problem-free Hajj in 2014 and the attention attached to improve the services of Hajj. I reiterate and hope that government will harness more capabilities and commit Hajj under the full control of Muslims by setting up a permanent National Hajj Commission to organize Hajj in Ghana as previously promised. The seeming endless cycle of promises without any tangible and positive outcome reduces the level of confidence reposed in the President by the Muslim community. I therefore hope that the commitment made by His Excellency to commit hajj under the full supervision and management of Muslims will be fulfilled, to enable us consolidate the Islamic agenda.

The recent economic situation in the country appeared to have challenged the livelihoods of the people. Government efforts and promises at improving the economy and the livelihoods of Ghanaians through the better Ghana agenda assurances need to be backed by determination and real action.

While I pray to Allah for the eventual turn -around of the economy and challenges confronting the country, I also urge government to find an antidote to the remaining economic challenges confronting the country, in order to restore public confidence, alleviate the problems.

Without a slight of doubt, the activities of Muslim extremists know no boundaries and constitute a source of concern in the global community and lead to insecurity in the sub-region, there is the need for us to complement the efforts of the government and other states in the fight against terrorism. Thus, the national security, police, military, BNI, and other security agencies in the country need to step up efforts to secure the country`s borders, conduct thorough investigations in order to identify individuals, who may harbor malignant intention in order to curb the scourge and prevent the spillover of terrorists into the country.

One of the most serious social evils that has plagued many African societies including Ghana is certainly corruption. Corruption seems to have permeated our society from governments, politicians, religious leaders, government functionaries and top public servants. Individuals regard public office as a means to enrich themselves, their families and friends. Corruption robs the state of the much needed capital both local and foreign for development. It contributes heavily to the economic difficulties into which many African countries find themselves. This served as a cause for military interventions, conflicts and long-term economic stagnation in other states. Corruption and Economic mismanagement leads to waste in the economy. Corruption produces sad and humiliating situations in most countries. 

Once the economy becomes stagnant; people suffer from acute shortages of essential commodities, unemployment strikes many families, prices of imported goods and local foodstuffs rise astronomically. Economic mismanagement, economic stagnation and corruption and the consequent austerity measures may appear to be the major reason for chaos in many countries.  Every citizen has the right to health,education, food, shelter. The enjoyment of these rights is undermined whenever there is corruption. It is my fervent hope and incessant prayer that the government, anti-corruption bodies, the judiciary and stakeholders propose options and laws to fight corruption and ensure good governance and accountability in governance.

Office of the Shia National Imam, Ghana.