Veep Kicks At Islamic Radicals

Vice President John Mahama Vice President John Dramani Mahama has charged Muslim clerics to check the spread of Islamic radicalism and use the pulpit to ensure harmony in society as a reflection of the Prophet Mohammed. The Islamic faith like others, he said, stands for peace in society, adding that when clerics support the establishment of social harmony, they would have contributed towards the realization of the ideals of the Prophet of Islam. He was speaking during the commissioning on Saturday of a multi-million cedi mosque and school complex solely built from the resources of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu at Nyanyan, Kasoa in the Central Region. Ghana, he noted, has been spared the conflicts which have visited some parts of the world such as what happened recently in Nigeria in which hundreds lost their lives. He expressed regret about the development and tasked Islamic clerics to use the pulpit to ensure harmony in the society. The Ghanaian constitution, he said, has outlawed the imposition of faith on others adding that poverty, the struggle for resources are the root causes of conflicts, but these manifest themselves through Islamic extremism. Secular and Islamic educations are not exclusive of each other he said, explaining that both sexes are entitled to acquiring knowledge. Nowhere in the Islamic scriptures is it stated that women should be denied knowledge, he said, charging parents to send their girl-child to school and ensure they remain there to realize their full potentials. “I challenge clerics to involve the enrolment of boys and girls in schools and to ensure that the girl-child is not withdrawn for marriage”. The commissioning, which he undertook, was graced by many dignitaries from both without and within Ghana. The Vice President’s donation of ¢100 million towards the completion of the school complex was at par with that from the Kano State Governor. The Governor of Kano State and the Emir of Kano were both represented by high-powered delegations. The Asantehene, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra and the Ga Mantse were all represented at the function. Sheikh Arimeyaw Shuaibu of the Islamic Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service treated the theme of the commissioning, “The Role Of Muslim Clerics In Nation-Building”. He expressed regrets about the erroneous impression some persons hold about Islamic clerics otherwise called Malams. These clerics are often considered as people engaged in esoteric activities and dismissed the notion, explaining that the Islamic cleric has contributed immensely towards the acquisition of knowledge in many fields like literature, mathematics, physics, astronomy and many others. Islamic scholars, he noted, have been instrumental in the establishment world renowned centres of learning in both Africa and elsewhere. He charged Islamic clerics to reposition themselves to contribute towards the development of the community. Sheikh Arimeyaw Shuaibu fretted about what he described as the threat of Islamic extremism such as Boko Haram which drew copious blood in Maiduguri and other parts of Northern Nigeria in recent days. By A.R. Gomda/Daily Guide