The issue going on in Wesley Girls’ High School with the banning of a Muslim student from fasting during this holy month of Ramadan was endorsed by the Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana against the Ghana Education Service’s directive.
The mainline Christian churches prayerfully came to this conclusion after considering what the Methodist Church had on the matter. Then on air, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, the Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, claimed that there was a gang-up by big Christian organisations in Ghana against Muslims. He made these comments on Key Points on TV3 on May 8, 2021.
He went on to state that even though Christian mission schools are now sponsored by the state, Muslim students were compelled to undergo Christian values against their Islamic faith.
Sheikh was emphatic and worried about the ganging up against Muslims on the issue of that student who decided to fast. The Sheikh is trying to raise issues to alarming proportions. This is unfortunate, as it is dangerous.
Ghana is predominantly Christian, with over 71% of the population. It was Christians in leadership positions who decreed in the 80s that the two important Islamic festivals of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha should be made, first, national holiday for Muslims, and later full national holidays for all.
It was through Christians in leadership that the Pilgrims Affairs Office was created in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Development to oversee the airlifting of pilgrims, and one of the sections under this department is the National Hajj Council, which annually makes sure that Muslims could go on pilgrimage to Mecca.
Unfortunately, there is nothing for Christian pilgrims whose top choice of pilgrimage will be in Israel in the same region as Saudi Arabia. Christians get no help or any assistance from the government or the state when embarking on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to be acknowledged as Jerusalem Pilgrims (JPs).
It was Christians in leadership that set up the Zongo Development Ministry, now a department, to oversee development in this predominant Muslim community.
It was Christians in leadership that during the First Republic who set up free education in the predominant Muslim, North. And it was Christians in leadership that placed great emphasis on the development of the North.
As stated earlier, Christians are in the majority, in fact, absolute majority, with, at least, 71% of the population. Ghana is, therefore, a Christian country, even if this has not been officially gazetted. Yet, Muslims seem to benefit more than Christians, and the so-called big Christian churches have never used their influence over Christians in leadership to make Christians benefit more to the disadvantage of Muslims and other minor religious groups.
Even as we are all from various traditions, Ghana is yet to institute public holidays for our traditionalists when they celebrate important festivals, like Hogbetsotso, Homowo, Odwira and Addae. At least, such festivals can be better acknowledged if public holidays can be instituted in their traditional areas.
As stated earlier, even though the typical Ghanaian Christians are generally deeply religious and would love to crown their faith with a pilgrimage to the land that Jesus Christ walked, and the typical Ghanaian Catholic would want to go further to areas where the Apostles established and saw to the growth of the Church, like the Vatican City and others places like Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal, and Namugongo, Uganda, to the Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda among others, there has never been any assistance from the state or government.
At this point, Sheikh should reflect on what he said that even as the state caters for mission schools, Muslims in such schools must be given special privileges that befits Muslims, but not acceptable to Christians. Would the Sheikh not at this juncture insist that the state should set up a Christian Pilgrim Board to cater for all the needs and requirements of Christian Pilgrims?
Years ago, Muslim students in St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School demanded a mosque to be built for them so that they can pray and worship. Of course, such a demand was turned down by the Catholic Church in Accra. The question is, in Islamic schools and institutions in Ghana are Christians allowed to have their way in line with their faith? Sheikh Amereyaw must be very honest here.
What will be the reactions of Muslims if Christians, angered by a statement or act by a Muslim against Christianity, go and vandalise an Islamic site, like a mosque? When Prophet Owusu Bempah said what he wrongly said about the National Chief Imam some three years ago, Muslim youth vandalised his church.
The National Chief Imam, to show his desire to maintain peace and unity with Christians, visited the Christ the King Catholic Church. Some Muslims expressed disgust about his action. And when Vice President Bawumia undertook pilgrimages to some Christian churches, some Muslims never spared him. Yet, no Christian, organisation or individual, spoke against Christians in leadership like the President whenever they also undertook pilgrimages to mosques. I say pilgrimages because the Vice President went to Christian churches to join the faithful in prayer, as the President does same when he goes to the mosques.
The issue of the Muslim student who wanted to fast but was denied should be looked into in a different perspective. She was not the only Muslim who entered Wesley Girls. What happened to the others who might have fasted, but did not break school rules? What did this student demand that the school had to remind her of the school rule? Is it not important for us to listen to the school and the Methodist Church on this matter before we start condemning them?
Sheikh Amereyaw Shaibu must know that with a Christian dominated country like Ghana, Muslims are accepted as cousins in the faith, because Islam and Christianity acknowledge the same One God. No group of Christian organisations have ganged up against Muslims, if that is so, they would have used their influence on Christians in leadership to suppress Muslims as minority Christians are treated in Muslim dominated country. Even in a country like Nigeria, where Christians and Muslims are about 50:50, we hear of sad and evil things that continue to happen to Christians in the predominant Muslim North, and under a Muslim President.
Please, Sheikh Amereyaw Shaibu, retract your words.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
The post GCBC and CCG on Wey Gey Hey Fasting Saga Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, Please Be Grateful appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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