By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug. 14, GNA – Three clerics at the centre of recent religious tensions in Ghana have publicly reconciled, with leaders urging restraint and respect for the rule of law.
The two Muslim clerics and Christian cleric embraced at a meeting of religious and security leaders in Accra aimed at easing tensions and reinforcing interfaith harmony.
Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, said the reconciliation was an important step towards restoring calm following recent incidents involving the clerics.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, and Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), witnessed the reconciliation.
Representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana, Shia Muslim community and Council of Zongo Chiefs also attended.
The meeting followed the arrest of Imam Masud Abdullah over alleged statements advocating violence against persons who spoke ill of Prophet Mohammed and Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei, alias Apostle Daniel JY Adjei, over alleged derogatory and offensive comments about Prophet Mohammed.
Tensions were heightened by the circulation of a video showing the Christian cleric being assaulted by Sibamay Zakaria while in handcuffs at the Police Headquarters.
The Police subsequently arrested Sibamay Zakaria and said he would face due process.
Addressing the gathering, Sheikh Dr Sharubutu said Christians and Muslims were part of one human family and that religious diversity should promote mutual understanding rather than conflict.
Quoting the Quran, he said humanity was created into diverse communities so that people could “know each other” and support one another rather than engage in conflict.
The National Chief Imam urged Ghanaians to protect the country’s peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths.
“My plea is that let us not undermine and destroy this gift of God,” he said.
The IGP said Ghana had experienced a period of “profound tension” following provocative religious statements and the assault of a Christian cleric while in police custody.
He said the incident had aggrieved many Ghanaians across religious lines because it violated the country’s constitutional order and values of tolerance and compassion.
“Violence will not fix what words have broken, and vigilante retribution will never replace the rule of law in Ghana,” he said.
Mr Yohuno said the Police had arrested the Islamic cleric accused of calling for extrajudicial killings, the Christian cleric accused of making derogatory comments about Prophet Mohammed and the individual captured on video assaulting the handcuffed Christian cleric.
He said all three were on bail while investigations continued.
The IGP said the Police response alone could not heal tensions arising from the controversy and urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote calm and peaceful coexistence.
He called on Christian and Muslim leaders to use their sermons to promote interfaith harmony, self-control and awareness of the dangers of religious conflict.
Mr Yohuno also urged them to demonstrate unity through joint public engagements, statements and community activities.
“The ball is in our court,” he told the religious leaders, noting that their followers listened to their sermons and social media messages and observed their actions.
The IGP urged religious leaders to support statutory justice and discourage their followers from resorting to mob justice, online harassment or physical violence.
Bishop Dr Agyei Lawson, speaking on behalf of the Christian community, said Ghana’s religious diversity was one of the country’s strengths and urged religious leaders to promote understanding, tolerance and unity.
He commended the IGP for convening the engagement and encouraged Christians and Muslims to reject intolerance, hate speech, provocation and violence.
“Regardless of our faith and traditions, we are first and foremost Ghanaians. Our diversity should unite us and not divide us,” he said.
Bishop Lawson pledged the Christian community’s continued partnership with the Police Service to promote a peaceful, secure and harmonious Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo