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Press Release
7th February,
2016
NEWS STORY
No: NPP01800
Ghanaian Christians &
Muslims Must Continue to Co-Exist Peacefully
- Bawumia
Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-Presidential Candidate of
the NPP, has cautioned Ghanaian Muslims to be on guard
against extremists and their influence and appealed to the
Muslim Community to shun all divisions and continue to
coexist peacefully with the majority Christian population as
it is the only way to guarantee the stability of the Nation.
These comments were contained in a Lecture titled “Islam In
The 21st Century: The Role of Muslim Youth in Combating
Extremism and Radicalism for Political Stability” delivered
at the 9th Annual Congress of the Ghana Muslim Students
Association (GMSA) of the University of Development Studies
(UDS) on Friday.
“As young people we ought to guard against the evils of
exclusivism. It is important that we realise that if Allah
so desired He would have made all of us one people. But as
He states in the Qur’an, He allows us to wallow in our
differences, which He shall settle on the Day of Judgment.
“There shall be no compulsion in religion” so states the
Qur’an. Let us therefore respect one another’s views on
matters of religion. Intolerance in matters of religion is
what breeds extremism and radicalism, which triggers
political instability,” he said.
Touching on the relationship between faiths, Alhaji Dr.
Bawumia explained that radicalism and extremism are the
products of exclusivism and intolerance.
“In Ghana especially, the majority of the people live by the
Christian faith. There cannot be peace and stability in
Ghana except us, as Muslims co-exist peacefully with our
Christian brothers and sisters. What feeds extremism and
radicalism is the idea that there is only one way to God.
While we are entitled to believe in the rightness of our
way, we cannot seek to annihilate views that are opposite to
ours. Radicalism and extremism are the product of
exclusivism and intolerance.”
The NPP Running Mate delivering what was subsequently
described as a well-researched scholarly Islamic piece by
other speakers, explained that Islam itself is very tolerant
of Christianity and pointed to various examples in the
Qu’ran to make this point.
“Islam itself is very tolerant of Christianity. The first
wave of Muslim migration to escape the persecution of the
Makkans who opposed the nascent religion of Islam, was to
Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia). At that time the Prophet
advised his followers to migrate to Abyssinia because “a
Christian King rules.” Indeed the Qur’an affirms the Islamic
affinity to Christianity when it states that “you will find
nearest to the believers those who say ‘we are
Christians…because amongst them are men who are devoted to
learning and monks and because they are not arrogant” (Q:
5:82). The Prophet is also reported to have stated that
“both in this world and in the hereafter, I am the nearest
of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary…” (Bukhari: Vol
4: 434),” he stated.
Continuing, Alhaji Dr. Bawumia mentioned the recognition
given to Jesus and Mary in the Qu’ran.
“When the Makkans sent a delegation to appeal to the Negus
of Abyssinia to extradite the Muslims and when the Muslims
were called upon to say why they should not be extradited,
their Spokesperson, Jafar bin Abu Talib, quoted copiously
from the 19th chapter of the Qur’an as his defense. The 19th
chapter of the Qur’an is called the chapter of Mary (Suratul
Maryam). Indeed Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in
the Qur’an and the chapter acknowledges the prophet-hood of
Jesus, his special relationship with God, including the fact
that he spoke from his cradle in defense of his mother when
sections of her people thought that she had engaged in
adultery; an incident that is not even mentioned in the
Bible. The Prophet himself was to marry a Coptic Christian
by name Maria and Allah subsequently made marriage between a
Muslim man and a Christian woman lawful,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia urged Ghanaian Muslims to follow the good
example of the National Chief Imam and to continue to work
to sustain the peace and co-existence between the two
faiths.
“In Ghana, unlike our neighbours in Nigeria, we have largely
lived at peace with our Christian brothers and sisters. We
have a National Chief Imam who even opened the doors of our
Central Mosque in Accra to Christians to renovate for us as
a symbol of the co-existence that ought to be between us.
The youth should emulate this example by the National Chief
Imam who is an embodiment of both Qur’anic and Prophetic
wisdom.”
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World Bank funds climate
innovation centre at Ashesi university
Pulse, Feb 06, Ghanadot - The World Bank Group
has announced the upcoming launch of a new Climate
Innovation Center (CIC) in Accra to support Ghana’s
green growth strategy. ...More
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Nigeria president warns of
Libya 'time bomb'
Times, Feb 03, Ghanadot - Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari urged the international community on
Wednesday to help end the turmoil in Libya, warning that
it was creating a "strategic time bomb" for Africa and
Europe....In a speech to the European Parliament, Buhari
said the situation in lawless southern Libya was
particularly alarming as it was creating a flow of arms
affecting Nigeria and other countries. ......More |
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Finding your way in a country
without street addresses
BBC, Feb 05, Ghanadot - Since properties often
don't have a house number or name and street signs are
rarely visible, local landmarks like bars, banks or even
trees are used instead to help people find their way.
But a new, home-grown mobile app wants to change how
people get around, putting an end to the confusion...The
SnooCode app generates a unique code for every property
in Ghana......More
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Dealing with pollution
– the case of Australia’s HAZELWOOD coal plant fires
Commentary, Feb 05,
Ghanadot -
The two reports above
indicate the legislative and regulatory framework within
which a company that has caused environmental harm can
be brought to book in Australia. Significantly they
illustrate the political will to hold such companies
accountable for environmental harm. ....More
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