Ramadan Message from the Office of the Shia National Imam

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

On behalf of the Shiite fraternity in Ghana, I extend warm felicitations to the Muslim community in the country and beyond as the new moon signals the sacred month of Ramadan; the month of peace, blessings, unity, self reflection, tolerance and devotion.

Thus, I send my best wishes to all adherents of the other religious denominations in the country for good health and prosperity.

I am optimistic that the peace, tolerance, unity and solidarity among Muslim communities and nations would be further consolidated by adhering to the norms and values espoused in the Holy Qur`an, tradition of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(s) and his household.

I urge Muslims to close their ranks, continue working for the sake of deepening and expanding the peace, unity, tolerance, friendly relations and cooperation existing between Muslims, Christians and members of other religious denominations in the country.

I am deeply saddened by the flood and explosion at a Goil filling station adjacent Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 where hundreds of deaths were recorded, several injured while properties running into millions of Cedis were also destroyed.

I extend my heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the great loss. May the Almighty Allah in His infinite Mercy grant the lost souls eternal peace and repose of their souls.

While commending agencies like the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the like for their coordinated efforts and solidarity in the rescue operation, I also urge the team to equitably distribute relief items to the survivors of this disaster.

I call on all Muslim organizations in the country to also complement the efforts of the government and other agencies by providing assistance to the victims of the disaster.

I also use this medium to condemn in no uncertain terms the terrorist attacks by the Jama-atu Ahli Sunna Lida`wati wal Jihad (Boko Haram) in Nigeria, Niger and Chad which claimed hundreds of innocent lives and property.

I therefore extend solidarity and heartfelt sympathy to the government and people of these crisis hit countries, and urge the Government of Ghana to attach importance in fighting this ominous phenomenon, which may require cooperation, commitment, firm and unconditional determination of the government, security agencies, the judiciary, religious institutions and all stakeholders in order to curb the scourge and prevent the spillover of terrorists into the country.

Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance. The emergence of Osama bin Laden`s al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb AQIM, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(AQAP), Jama`atu Ahl -al Sunna Lida`wati wal Jihad(Boko Haram), Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Shaam, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant ISIL-ISIS, al-Shabab, Tahriq-i- Taliban of Pakistan TTP, Lashkar Jhangvi etc who seek to abolish Secular education, establish so called Islamic state and Caliphate, overthrow governments, introduce socio-political and religious change through suicide bombing, crucifixion, abduction, decapitation, mutilation, rape and eating of human flesh are grim reminders of the high level of threats of Islamic insurgency and the need for political and religious leaders, commentators and the media to put these barbaric acts in their proper context devoid of propaganda and prejudice.

I urge the warring factions in the Yemeni Conflict to close their ranks, gather around the rules of the Holy Qur`an and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet(s) and his household and resolve their differences, instead of resorting to the killing of the vulnerable (women and children) in the Holy month of Ramadan.

The launching of bombs against the Yemeni population in a sacred month seems to question the faith of some Muslim foreign forces that destroy human life and property instead of resorting to dialogue.

The Holy Qur`an in this regard states “ And hold fast onto the rope of Allah and do not be divided, and remember the favor of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together and by His favor you became brethren” Qur`an 3:103

The government in the past few years promised to exert more efforts and harnesses all capabilities in order to commit Hajj under the full control and supervision of Muslims so as to further consolidate the Islamic agenda.

Muslims have since then been anticipating with a deep breath, the realization of this promise. To break the promise with a “strange” proposal Bill to secularize Hajj under the authority of the Ministry of Tourism, and concentrate the activities of Hajj with non Muslims is a bit much misplaced and appears to be absurd. I therefore caution Government to respect the sanctity of Islam. The attempt to secularize Hajj is unfortunate and must be avoided.

I strongly dismiss the attempt to establish the National Pilgrims Authority to coordinate, regulate, license, monitor and supervise activities of Hajj.

The proposed National Pilgrimages Authority Draft Bill was “dangerous” and has the potential to mar the inter and intra religious peaceful co-existence the country has been enjoying from time immemorial.

This also constitutes a significant setback to the trust that exists between the Muslim community and the government. Hajj is unquestionably a Pillar of Islam that must be controlled and regulated by Muslims devoid of any political intrusion.

Throughout this sacred month, I wish his eminence Dr. Sheikh Uthman Nuhu Sharubutu the National Chief Imam, and the entire Muslim fraternity Ramadan Kareem.