Sheikh Armiyawo narrates how Chief Imam reacted to passage of anti-gay bill

The National Chief Imam of Ghana, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, could not hide his joy after the passage of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (anti-gay bill) by the Parliament of Ghana, his spokesperson has said.

According to Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, the spokesperson of the Chief Imam, Sheikh Sharubutu was so pleased that parliament passed the bill because of the threat of homosexuality to the survival of humanity.

He indicated that the Chief Imam, as the leader of the Muslim community in Ghana, was worried about the threat of LGBT+ activities in the country.

“I can say without any equivocation that the Chief Imam is gleefully joyful about the passing of this bill because he has fully been briefed about what we are going through with respect to the evolvement of this LGBTQ+ phenomenon in our country and the attempt to really universalise it and make it something normal and something acceptable.

"And as somebody who is the leader of Muslims in this country, he could not actually give any support to such matter to be allowed,” he said.

He added, “For us, it is a moral issue, it is something that also goes to the very heart of the protection of the family, which in the Muslim understanding of things, is the property of God. It is the smallest unit of society into which every single human being is born.”

The spokesperson also stated that his boss was very happy about the passage of the anti-gay bill because it was a threat to the family system.

“Any practice that seeks to undermine the survival of the family must truly be condemned. For us, it is reprehensible, abominable, and objectionable. So, Chief Imam is so happy,” he added.

About the passage of the anti-gay bill:

The Parliament of Ghana, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the Anti-LGBT+ Bill.

The bill, currently awaiting presidential assent, proscribes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Persons caught in these acts will be subjected to a six-month to three-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors facing a three to five-year jail term.

The bill will now require presidential assent to come into force within 7 days.

However, if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to assent to the bill, parliament, by a two-third majority vote, can approve it into law.

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