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Sharubutu Denies Allegation of Maltreatment

By A. M. Marzuq Azindoo, Mecca
General News Shaikh Dr. Usman Nuhu Sharubutu
SEP 18, 2016 LISTEN
Shaikh Dr. Usman Nuhu Sharubutu

The National Chief Imam, Shaikh Dr. Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, has admonished Ghanaians to refrain from making him a subject of socio-political discussion, while he worships his Lord in the Holy Land of Mecca.

"I am here for worship not for comfort. Any allegation of maltreatment meted out to me is false", adds the Grand Imam.

Speaking in an interview in response to an allegation of maltreating him in Mecca, he says he is rather satisfied with the courtesy accorded him by the Pilgrimage Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) and the Ghana Mission in Saudi Arabia.

"Whatever seeming difficulty I have encountered is part of the conventions of Hajj which is not luxury but worship", emphasizes the National Chief Imam.

Substantiating, Shaikh Sharubutu states that in terms of feeding, accommodation and transportation, he has been well treated at all relevant places of Hajj: Mecca, Mina, Arafah, and Muzdalifa.

In Mecca, the Chief Imam lodges at Al - Safwa Towers, one of the best hotels on the compound of Mecca Haram Mosque that houses the Holy Kabah.

He mentions that he was compelled to board a registered taxi from Mina to Mecca because Saudi authorities had banned private cars at Mina as part of measures to maximize the safety and security of pilgrims.

The only decent means of transportation available was the taxi, which I saw as honor not humiliation, continues the Grand Shaikh.

Quoting relevant verses of Quran to buttress his assertion, Imam Sharubutu states that pilgrims are expected to spend two or three days in the Camp City of Mina after Arafah. He had spent two days and wanted to leave for Mecca before sunset as recommended by the Noble Prophet Mohammed.

"This explains the need for the Chairman of PAOG, Alhaji Tanko, to arrange the taxi for me", he reveals.

In the words of the Chief Imam, he appreciates any special treatment offered him by any individual or institution during Hajj. "But if such a treatment is truncated by the dictates of circumstances, it should not be a source of blame game or topic of public discourse", he opines.

Imam Sharubutu observes that Hajj, as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is emphatic on equality before Allah "in spite of our differences in status."

He prays for unity among Ghanaians and peace in Ghana. He reiterates his call on Muslims, especially the youth, to serve as partners in peaceful conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the country.

Let us appreciate the beauty of democratic pluralism and refrain from the ugliness of irresponsible partisanship, concludes Imam Sharubutu.

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