Muslims upset over Gbese Mantse’s no burial order

The Muslim community in Ghana is unhappy about an order from the Gbese Mantse against the burial of Muslims in Accra during next month’s ban on noise making by the Ga Traditional Council.

Nii Ayibonte who speaks for Ga chiefs has reportedly directed that no Muslim should be buried when the month long ban comes into force on May 11.

The chief is also reported to have issued a stern warning to other religious and ethnic groups who may flout the controversial ban ahead of the Homowo festivities.

Speaking to Starr News, the spokesperson for the Chief Imam Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu said such an order will violate the religious rights of Muslims.

“We are threatened from one level to the other; today it is noise making, tomorrow it is ‘don’t bury’ and the next day we don’t know what it will lead to. And if you look at the global nature of our community now and how diverse it is, you want to leave in a community where we all respect ourselves.

“We ought to respect the cultural values of each other but it should also not infringe on the rights of others to also express their religion, and I think that’s where we are heading to now and it can be a bit disturbing, especially when it has to do with funerals and the burial of the dead, and we don’t cause the dead otherwise we would have said all Muslims who are going to die should wait until we finish the Homowo and then you can begin to die,” he bemoaned.