Reflect Ghana’s stance on homosexuality – Chief Imam urges Akufo-Addo

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has urged President Akufo-Addo to clearly reflect Ghana’s position on the controversial subject of homosexuality.

The call, follows the backlash that has attended the President’s response on why homosexuality has not been legalized yet in the country.

President Akufo-Addo told Al Jazeera that the practice is illegal in Ghana because there hasn’t been a strong push for its legalization.

“This is the socio-cultural issue if you like…I don’t believe that in Ghana, so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that will say: ‘Change it [the law], let’s then have a new paradigm in Ghana.”

He further noted that he grew up in England, which, in the past, detest homosexuality but later succumbed to pressure from LGBT lobbyists to amend their laws to accommodate same-sex relationship.

“I grew up in England; I went to school as a young boy in England and I grew up at a time in England when homosexuality was banned there, it was illegal and I lived in the period when British politicians thought it was anathema to think about changing the law and suddenly the activities of individuals, of groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew and grew and grew stronger and it forced a change in law. I believe those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation.”

The president, nonetheless said: “At the moment, I don’t feel and I don’t see that in Ghana, there is that strong current of opinion that will say: ‘This is something that we need even deal with’. It’s not, so far, a matter which is on the agenda.”

But the Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Arfemeyaw Shaibu stated that President Akufo-Addo’s position doesn’t reflect that of Ghanaians.

“The Western nations that are economically powerful can use their economic positions, strength as a means to impose certain cultures on us. So we’ll not be far away from right if we say that behind the scenes certain strings were being pulled and that is why the President was so cautious.

If you watched that part well and you watched his demeanor very well, you’ll notice that in the dilemma he was being cautious in meandering through the two extremes so that he danced around the issue without making a direct or clear statement on his position on homosexuality. We need to encourage him to come out as someone who’s representing our collective consciousness as a nation. He should be able to state clearly what is our national position on such a matter,” He told Starr FM