By Bright Ntramah
President Akufo-Addo has expressed delight in the decision by all the Islamic sects in Ghana to unify under one corporate body to be known as the National Muslim Conference, describing the move as apt.
The decision according to President Akufo-Addo is a welcoming development that will go a long way to guarantee the peaceful co-existence of all Muslims in Ghana and improve relations between Muslims and the State.
Addressing a delegation of all Muslim sects in Ghana led by the Chief Imam, Shiekh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, at the Jubilee House when they paid a courtesy call on him to formally announce the formation of the Muslim Conference, President Akufo-Addo, said “the development is one that is worth emulating by other religious groupings in the country”.
The National Muslim Conference was incorporated on in December last year. It is a self-governing institutional mechanism with three main structures, namely, the governing body, the management board and the secretariat to be headed by the General Secretary.
The body he added, was established by a deed signed by the National Chief Imam, the National Imams of all the Muslim groups in Ghana, including Chiefs as well as the chairman of the Muslim cuscus in Parliament. General Secretary of the National Muslim conference, Alhaji Insah Mohammed said the institutional mechanism is meant to bring Muslims together to participate in the economic discourse of this country, especially in the areas of education, health, economic empowerment, and the strengthening of the financial conditions of Ghanaian Muslims.
The body he added, was established by a deed signed by the National Chief Imam, the National Imams of all the Muslim groups in Ghana, including Chiefs as well as the chairman of the Muslim cuscus in Parliament.
“This institutional mechanism is meant to bring Muslims together to participate in the economic discourse of this country, especially in the areas of education, health, economic empowerment, and the strengthening of the financial conditions of Ghanaian Muslims and the nation at large, as well as to ensure that the legal and human rights of Muslims in Ghana are protected at all times” Alhaji Insah Mohammed said in his remarks on behalf of the delegation.
President Akufo-Addo assured them the new group will be recognised by the state.
“It is extremely important what has happened here the [Jubilee House] today. The country is being told that all the key Muslim sects, Tijjaniya, Sunnī, Shīʿa, Ahmadiyya, have all come together under one organization to represent the Muslim community, to be its mouthpiece and to be its representative and to deal with the State and the government at all levels in this corporate form” President Akufo-Addo said.
Apart from the National Chief Imam Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, who is also the Chairman of the National Muslim Conference, other Muslim clerics who attended the ceremony included Maulvi Mohammed Bin Sali, the Ameer (Head) and Missionary in charge of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, and member of the National Muslim Conference.
The other were Saeed Alhaji Oman Ibrahim, representing the Sunni community in Ghana as the national Imam, Saeed Dr Amin Osei Bonsu, chairman of the Ghana Muslim Mission and Shiekh Abdul Wadud Ciessey, representing the Tijjaniya movement in Ghana as their national Imam.
