Use Strength For Positive Gains - Mumuni
Foreign Affairs Minister and Regional Integration, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, has challenged Muslims to use their strength for positive things rather than engaging in tribal conflicts.
He noted that Islam as a religion extolled the virtue of peace, hence engaging in illegal activities during the Ramadan season did not only go to create a negative connotation about the religion but went to dent the image of Allah.
Alhaji Mumuni was speaking at the introduction ceremony of the Tema Metropolitan Chief Imam, Alhaji Salley Iddrisu-Sika, in Tema. The second vice chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, as well as the Gonja chiefs of Kumasi and Accra were some dignitaries who graced the occasion.
He warned that the government would not entertain people who engaged in illicit activities, and that such persons when caught would face the full rigours of the law.
The Foreign Minister said renewed clashes in Bawku in the Upper East Region where six persons had so far been confirmed dead as well as the recent Agbogbloshie clash did not only portray Islam as a violent religion but also as communities living in abject poverty.
He said “No level-headed investor would go and invest his money in a conflict zone and this would continually see our children involved in the urban-rural drift,” Alhaji Mumuni remarked.
He pledged the governments’ commitment to bridge the development gap between the north and the south, and called for their cooporation.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II, in his goodwill message said Islam must be seen as a peaceful religion worth practicing.
It, therefore, behoves practitioners to uphold the principles upon which the religion evolved, and urged all to maintain the principles of cleanliness.
He called on leaders within Muslim communities to engage residents in sensitisation programmes that would create jobs as well as development.
The new chief iman, Alhaji Salley Iddrisu-Sika, who was outdoored pending an official installation at the end of the month, promised to uphold the legacies laid by his predecessor, the late Alhaji Imam Abdul Samad, and called on all to come on board in order to correct the negative perceptions.
Alhaji Iddrisu-Sika was born on September 22, 1929 in Adabraka in Accra. He attended Accra High School, and later proceeded to the University of Ghana, Legon, where he graduated with a Diploma in Administration. He worked as a Librarian at the university library for seven years.
He also worked as a foreman with Kaiser Engineers during the construction of the Akosombo Dam, and also had a stint with the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) for twelve years. Between 1996 and 2002, Alhaji Sika worked with the Ghana Education Service as an assistant director in charge of supervision.
He retired in 2003 and was appointed the deputy chief Imam for the Tema Muslim council, a position he held until his recent elevation.