President John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated his pledge to add another holiday for Muslims during Eid-Fitr to address the issue of the 29 or 30-day rule for sighting the moon, beginning this year.
He said the move was aimed at ensuring that all Muslim citizens could enjoy the public holiday without conflict with their places of work.
He emphasised that the additional holiday would not affect productivity, as his government would modify the Public Holidays Act to maintain the same number of public holidays per year.
He said this was part of his efforts to promote Islamic values and recognise the contributions of Muslim communities in the country.
President Mahama was addressing a gathering of Muslims at the National Muslim Prayer and Thanksgiving Service at the National Mosque at Kanda in Accra yesterday.
It was his second public appearance since coming into office as President on January 7.
He was accompanied by the national executive of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) including the National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, and the General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, Members of Parliament (MP), including Collins Dauda, Haruna Iddrisu, Alhassan Suhuyini, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka and other leading members of the party.
Other prominent personalities present were the National Chief Imam, Usmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, a retired banker and traditional ruler, Naa Alhassan Andani and the NDC’s first General Secretary, Hudu Yahaya.
Gratitude
President Mahama expressed gratitude to Allah for protecting him and his campaign team against misfortunes during the campaign season.
“By the time we arrived at the rally at Madina, we had done 30,000 kilometres and not a single accident.
“I am here to say thank you, first and foremost to my father the Chief Imam for the prayers. We asked him for prayers so that Allah would grant our heart desires so if Allah has listened to our supplication and granted our heart desire, it is only proper to thank Allah,” he said.
President Mahama acknowledged the NDC’s victory in most Muslim communities, stressing that this win came with the recognition that all citizens, regardless of their background, were equal citizens of the nation.
“I want to thank all Muslims in Ghana. Our presence here today is not just a formality, it is the declaration of our deep understanding that everything we have as a people or as a nation comes from Allah,” he said.
Initiatives
The President also announced other initiatives, including the establishment of a new Hajj committee to facilitate smoother pilgrimages to Mecca.
He declared that hijab could be worn freely in public, promoting religious tolerance and acceptance.
The President also announced that scholarships would be awarded to Muslim students to pursue studies in medicine, law and ICT to empower them to contribute to the nation’s development.
President Mahama emphasised the importance of leaders serving the people’s interests and promoting tolerance, dialogue and love among citizens.
He urged the youth to be tolerant and use dialogue rather than resorting to hate speech and violence.
Mr Nketiah, for his part, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Muslim community and the Chief Imam for their support and commitment to peaceful elections.
He said the Muslim community demonstrated that leaders should be chosen based on integrity and capacity, rather than religious affiliations.
He noted that attempts to create a narrative that Muslims should only vote for Muslim candidates failed and instead, Ghanaians voted for a President who would promote equality and unity.
Mr Nketiah, specifically thanked the Muslim community for ensuring peace during the election, acknowledging the prayers offered in the Zongo and expressing his conviction that Allah heard their prayers and chose President Mahama to lead the nation.
*Source: https://www.graphic.com.gh
OUR EDITORIAL COMMENT
President John Mahama opened the highway for Interfaith Diplomacy in Ghana, a plausible effort towards religious tolerance, harmony and peace among the people of different faiths.
During the recent general election in Ghana, majority of the Muslims rejected voting on religious sentiment and voted for Mahama, a Christian who, they believed, would do better. And he won!
President Mahama wasted no time to start delivering on his campaign promises to the Muslims.
As we, at the Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners (GIMP) congratulate the Ghanian President, we look forward to seeing him giving Ghana good governance. We hope that more Mahamas, irrespective of their religious affiliations, would emerge in more African countries and elsewhere in the world to promote Multiculturalism.
Muyiwa Akintunde
Chairman, Editorial Board
