Alhaji Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih
Alhaji Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Ghana, has admonished Ghanaians to collectively stand up to tackle religious and political extremism and sectarianism, which was gradually gaining grounds in the body politics of the country.
These acts, he noted, had a high potential of causing unrest and ultimately destabilizing the country and therefore must not to be allowed to rear its ugly head to gain roots in a secular state such as Ghana.
Maulvi Salih said this at the opening of a three day annual National Convention of the Ahmadiyyat Muslim at Pomadze in the Central Region.
The 84th Annual Convention on the theme “Tolerance and Peaceful Co-existence, a prerequisite for Progressive National Building", is being attended by more than 5,000 Ahmadi Muslim men and women across the country as well as other believers from different faiths.
Maulvi Salih said the polarized nature of the country’s national politics with the lava of hatred that erupts from time to time between the political parties accounted for prevalent disorders and poses an inherent danger to national peace and cohesion and must also be condemned.
He stressed that intolerance in any dimension was an extremely poisonous weed, which once deeply rooted, flourishes and becomes difficult to deal with especially when it creeps into a religious or political soil.
Citing examples from the recent incidents at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries in the Upper West Region where religious differences were reportedly invoked and exploited as a potent political tool, he said such religious extremist bigotry could eventually give birth to terrorism in the country if not properly checked.
“It is highly immoral to sweep such un-meritorious, deliberate, diabolic and un-calculated acts under the carpet and allow it to fetter. Rather, it must immediately engage the attention of the state particularly those institutions which have the mandate to ensure continuous peace in the country.” he stated.
He asked Ghanaians not to be overly complacent but concede to the fact that peace at any given time, no matter it apparent momentary enormity and the amount of conscious efforts to establish it, was always fragile.
He charged political parties to cooperate and collaborate in the interest of the nation to achieve the true and correct approach of politics in promoting national development.
Maulvi Salih was however optimistic that with the matured and credible political groupings as well as credible Human Rights institutions, there would be no cause for despondency after the general election in November.
He therefore called on political leaders to cultivate the spirit of service and sacrifice and come out with innovative programmes that would help create a peaceful environment and ease the burden of the people.
Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur entreated religious leaders to intensify religious education to the youth and instill in them moral values to enable them live in peace with one another.
He said Ghana over the past years have been successful in mending the diverse groupings and urged religious bodies to cooperate to stop extremist religious bigotry.
Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur asked Muslims for a continued prayer for the nation to sail through the general election successfully to prove to the world that Ghana deserved that touted accolade of a matured democratic country.
