By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Aug. 11, GNA – The Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC) Ghana has condemned calls for violence, killing and vigilantism in the name of Islam or any religion.
It said the life and dignity of every Ghanaian must be protected under the laws of the Republic.
The FMC, in a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency on Monday in Accra, said it had taken note of a circulating video containing inciteful comments allegedly attributed to an Islamic cleric concerning persons who spoke against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
It condemned, without reservation, any call to violence and vigilantism, saying: “Islam does not license mob justice.”
The FMC said the example of the Prophet Muhammad was one of patience, wisdom and engagement, even in the face of insult.
It cited instances in which the Prophet reportedly refused an offer by an angel to crush the town of Ta’if after he was stoned and mocked, and another incident where he instructed his companions not to harm a man who had urinated in a mosque.
The Council said it supported the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to authenticate the video, establish its full context, and apply the law without fear or favour.
It said any person found culpable of incitement to violence must face the full rigours of the law.
“There must be Equal Justice for All, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or status,” it said.
The FMC also reaffirmed the principle of constitutional religious freedom for all, citing Quranic injunctions against compulsion in religion.
It defended the rights of Muslim students in previous matters and would equally defend the rights of Christians, Traditionalists and all citizens to worship, speak and live free from intimidation, the statement said.
“No Muslim in Ghana has the authority to take the life of another Ghanaian on account of speech or disagreement with Islam. Disagreement must be answered with dialogue, not murder,” it said.
As a member of the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace (GCRP), the FMC said it would issue a joint interfaith statement with the other constituent organisations of the GCRP condemning incitement to violence from any pulpit.
It would also launch community sensitisation programmes in Zongo and inner-city communities on the difference between religious conviction and coercion, and cooperate fully with state security agencies in any investigations related to the matter.
The FMC called on religious and political leaders, the media and civil society to speak with one voice against religious extremism.
“The mosque and the church must remain houses of worship and peace, not platforms for hatred,” it said.
It urged Ghanaians to guard the country’s reputation for religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence and choose “life, truth, justice, and peace.”
“No religious immunity for Violence. Not in the name of God,” the release said.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng