By Stanley Senya
Accra, March. 08, GNA – Muslim Stakeholders and Institutions (MSOIs) have drafted a new Constitution for the processes of selecting Imams at the District, Regional and National levels.
At the second National Muslim Stakeholder Consultative Summit organised by the Coalition of Muslim Organisations Ghana, (COMOG), held on Monday, March 6, 2023, they deliberated on the merits and demerits of the Muslim constitution.
A consensus was made to ensure legal and constitutional selection of Imams at the national, district and regional levels.
However, stakeholders decided that, the Quran and the Hadith shall remain the law for all members of Council, and by extension the entire Muslims in Ghana under the laws of Ghana.
There shall be established Regional and District Shura Bodies to oversee the activities of Muslim leadership affairs at their respective levels as may be assigned to them by the National Shura Body.
Furthermore, stakeholders decided that MSOIs such as Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama‘a, Shia Muslim Community, Tijjaniyya, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and a representative of the Regional Chief Imams shall nominate a member each from their membership and submit same to the National Shura Body for appointment as a Deputy National Chief Imam.
The Meeting mandated the Board of Trustees to determine the criteria for the selection of a Representative from the identifiable groups of the “Tijjaniyya” for one of the Deputy Chief Imams’ slots.
The Regional Chief Imams’ Nominee for one of the Deputy National Chief Imams slots shall be determined by the Conference of Regional Chief Imams of Ghana.
However, the Constitution was adopted by a resolution signed by 19 regional Chiefs and regional Imams, and eight MSOIs, constituting more than the constitutional requirement of one-third endorsements.
GNA