Join hands to salvage image of Islam — Maulvi Bin Salih

The Head and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, has urged all Muslims in the county to join in the effort to salvage the image of Islam.

He said the image of Islam had been bruised and sullied by some ill-informed and misguided Muslims in recent times. However, in salvaging the image, he said, there was the need for every Muslim to be careful of their actions and their utterances since that would go a long way in shaping the image of the religion.

"We must all resolve to ensure that this sullied image is salvaged, and that we, as Muslims, stay together in unity without giving vent to our sectarian diversity," he said.

Maulvi Salih made the call when hundreds of Ahmadiyya faithful gathered at the Bustan-e-Ahmad at Ashongman in Accra last Saturday to pray for the country to mark the celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

About the Eid-ul-Fitr

The celebration follows the observation of a 30-day month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, during which Muslims abstain from food or drinks from dusk to dawn.

The purpose of the period, among others, is for Muslims to get closer to Allah through a spiritual act of worship.

Maulvi Salih said it was only after uniting that "we Muslims in Ghana can bring our positive influence to bear on the development of this country of ours, for ourselves, and for posterity".

Lessons of Ramadan

On Ramadan, he said, the period had the primary objective of laying a solid foundation not only for moral uprightness and spiritual development but was also to unite people with the underprivileged in society.

He added that an important condition of fasting was avoidance of falsehood, foul and indecent language, violent behaviour and infringing on the rights of others.

"The act of fasting is, therefore, meant to correct this unfortunate situation by stimulating man's spirituality. It is also to remind us that man is not made of flesh, bones and blood but also the spirit of Allah which He breathed into all created human beings, " he said.

Therefore, Maulvi Salih said as individuals, Muslims had a lot to learn from fasting when it came to the values of responsible citizenship, tolerance, civility and mutual respect.

"Let this Eid, therefore, be a reminder to us as a nation, and particularly as Muslims to cling firmly to these lofty ideals, even after Ramadan. This way, we can achieve good neighbourliness as well as smooth and harmonious nation building", he said.

Peaceful coexistence commendable

In his address, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, urged all Muslims to continue to allow Allah to guide them throughout the month of Ramadan to continue to direct their speech, behaviour and conduct as politicians, religious leaders, community leaders, public officials, and in their homes.

He commended the Muslim community in the country for the peace and unity that had prevailed between them and other faiths throughout the years, since peace and progress were key to national development.

"Ghana cannot really attain its economic and political heights when the ingredients of peace, harmony, religious tolerance and coexistence were lacking in our national discourse," he said.

Nii Agbo said the government would continue to create the platform that would continue to promote inter-faith dialogue and inclusiveness on issues of national importance so that "we adopt a holistic and integrated approach in all sectors of our national life".

Support the government

He also urged Muslims to join forces with the government and help generate ideas, policies, strategies, actions, programmes and commitment that would facilitate the resuscitation of the national economy and the building of a viable self-sustaining and prosperous nation.

Addressing the current economic challenges, Nii Agbo said the government was using an all-inclusive approach to brainstorm on how best the current situation could be surmounted and gradually ensure improved living standards for people through the creation of robust economic conditions that could stand the test of time.

He, therefore, urged the public to rise above partisan politics, ethnocentrism and wake up to a new dawn of national cohesion and economic progress.