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At a peace promotion symposium organized last Saturday in Accra by the Baraka Policy Institute (BPI), a group of social policy experts, the Christian and Muslim leaders present demonstrated tolerance and set an enviable example for their followers when they encouraged the electorate to avoid violence before. , during and after the December 7 elections.
The Secretary General of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Rev. Dr. Cyril Fayose, and Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, representing the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, called on young Muslims and Christians to resist any calls for violence. of any politician as a country slowly advanced towards the general elections of December 2020.
Sheikh Shaibu said: “The greatest injustice any politician will do to you is to reduce him to a tool of violence.
“When they come to you, look at them as partisan people. We must reject violence. Violence is evil, it breaks, destroys, mutilates, creates bitterness, generates anger and generates hatred ”, he advised.
He noted that the integrity and credibility of each election depended on a peaceful environment, adding that “Peace is the greatest favor that God has given to humanity and peace is necessary for every society to prosper.”
Peace Symposium
The symposium was held on the theme: “Leveraging Our Religious Values to Ensure Peaceful Elections in Ghana” and aimed to campaign for peace and serenity before, during and after the December elections.
It brought together Muslim and Christian leaders of various denominations, as well as Muslim and Christian youth, and various advocacy groups such as the Initiative of Change, Mother of Nations, the Ghana Muslim Mission, and the International Organization of the Quran and Sunna.
Collaboration
Sheikh Shaibu said that young people could not be part of any violent situation because it contradicted the teachings and principles of both Islam and Christianity.
“It is contradictory to use the machete when all that is preached and learned in the mosque and the church is peace. I want to emphasize that we will reject the mentality of violence, ”he said.
In addition, he called on Muslim and Christian leaders to come together and help perpetuate the campaign for peace in the country.
He observed that Christians and Muslims made up more than 90% of the citizens of this country and yet they were the same people at the forefront of political violence.
“Constituting more than 90 percent gives us the advantage of living in peace. We don’t have to wait until the election to start mentoring young people; it must be continuous.
“When the mind feeds on violence, it produces violence and when it feeds on peace, it produces peace,” he added.
Sorry
The Reverend Dr. Cyril Fayose stated that the country was destined to regress and suffer if the peace it enjoyed was destroyed.
Therefore, he urged people to “forgive each other and avoid holding a grudge.”
“Live well with your neighbor because it is a responsibility. You must have a fair relationship with everyone around you ”, he emphasized.
Hot spots
The Imam of the Ghana Police Service, Supt Imam Abdur Rahim Hussein, expressed concern about the more than 6,000 hotspots identified by the service before the elections.
He said a good number of the hotspots were Muslim-populated communities, adding that “we have a lot of work to do.”
“We need everyone to come together to help safeguard peace in the country, as the police cannot do it alone. I suggest that we do personal and community surveillance, that way, we can control each other and guarantee peace, “he said.
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