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14.04.2016 Editorial

Political Absurdity

By Daily Guide
Political Absurdity
14.04.2016 LISTEN

Dragging scriptural issues into politics or the other way round by persons who know next to nothing about the scriptures of the two great religions is an absurdity.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister is reported to have condemned Muslims in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as not being true members of the faith.

His reason for the reckless condemnation is borne out of his outright ignorance of Suratul Fil or Chapter of The Elephant in the holy scripture of Muslims – the Holy Quran. We find this useless attempt as not only puerile, but one symptomatic of political desperation by a man who is seeking attention and relevance.

This politician, Eric Opoku, must steer clear of such spiritual matters because they would only expose his ignorance and inordinate obsession with spewing mischief.

Has he bothered to read the relevant chapter of the Holy Quran and to seek explanation of its contents through a commentary? If he has not, it would serve his best interest to shut up and leave such subjects out of the gutter politics to which he belongs and would always be.

The Republicans in the United States settled on the elephant as their logo: they are better Christians than Eric and his colleagues in the ruling party, sure.

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We would take the trouble to educate the killjoy, albeit briefly, so he can spare himself the embarrassment that comes with such display of imbecility in an internet age in which the truth can easily be fished out.

Islam, the submission to the will of God, abhors insincerity, lies as represented by propaganda, looting of the public purse, corruption and all other acts which are ungodly in nature. If the aforementioned qualities are not the attributes of the party to which Eric belongs, we do not know of any other which bears them.

Mustering the courage to condemn the many Muslims in the largest political party in the manner in which the minister did devoid of circumspection, should be a source of worry to members of the faith, more so his misinterpretation of Suratul Fil.

The elephants that were used by the army to destroy the Ka'aba, the house of God, breached the order because they could not disobey their Maker. This contrasts with the negative interpretation of the ignoramus. Abraha's biggest elephant Mahmoud played a significant role in the disobedience of their non-Muslim owner. Obliging the order would have been the height of ungodliness.

Quranic verses which are sometimes brief can be rendered in several words as in commentaries or tafsirs to bring out their true meanings contextually and otherwise: these are palpably beyond the comprehension of the minister. He is surely relishing the glitters of a ministerial appointment, freebies, et al and would not bother to consider the repercussions of his thoughts and their renditions in the public space, the fallout being opprobrium and a lost face.

Next time he gets an opportunity to talk let him steer clear of such complex spiritual subjects which he is not primed to dabble in.

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