A Deputy Imam of the National Mosque, Alhaji Mohammed Awal Shuaib Alhassan, has stressed the need for religious co-existence as an instrument to promote global peace and stability.
He said religious co-existence created a peaceful environment for individuals and developed a community based on fairness, justice and equity.
Imam Alhassan, who is also the Chief Imam of Takoradi Metropolis was speaking on the topic “Interfaith harmony; an instrument of peace and global peace and stability,” at the 2023 Maulid Nabiyi (celebration of birth of Holy Prophet of Islam) by the National Chief Imam held at Fadama, a suburb of Accra on Saturday.
Imam Alhassan said religious co-existence “mitigates group difference, resolves conflicting situations, bars violence, establishes justice and promotes respectful intergroup relationship.”
He said the Holy Qur’an identified diversity among human beings as a sign of Allah almighty, beauty of creation.
“It rejects any discrimination among community based on religious, racial, tribal and national grounds and groups differ from one another in various ways including class, ethnicity, religion, race, gender and nationality,” he added.
Imam Shuaib observed that Ghana under the auspices of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh (Dr) Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, portrayed the unique feature where all adherents of the diverse religious faith had lived together in peace and harmony to the bewilderment of the international community.
“Humanity was created in the image of Allah almighty: We therefore aspire to know and follow his ways and not depart from them till the hereafter. May we continue to be the instrument of Allah and respect those who are different from us and who follow a different path than ours.
“May Allah almighty opens our mind and hearts to appreciate and understand the religious faiths and tradition of the people,” he added
BY ALHAJI SALIFU ABDUL-RAHAMAN