IGP urges Ghana’s religious leaders to lead campaign against religious violence
Accra: Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has urged Christian and Muslim leaders to use their sermons, public engagements and social media platforms to promote restraint, interfaith harmony and respect for the rule of law amid recent religious tensions.
He said religious leaders had a critical responsibility to prevent provocative statements and actions from escalating into violence, stressing that their followers listened to their messages and observed their conduct.
“The ball is in our court,” the IGP told religious leaders at a meeting in Accra aimed at easing tensions and strengthening interfaith harmony.
He called on Christian and Muslim leaders to demonstrate unity through joint public engagements, statements and community activities, while discouraging their followers from resorting to mob justice, online harassment and physical violence.
Mr Yohuno said the Police response alone could not resolve tensions arising from the recent controversy and therefore urged religious leaders to complement law enforcement efforts by using their influence to promote self-control, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
He said Ghana had experienced a period of “profound tension” following provocative religious statements and the assault of a Christian cleric while in police custody.
The incident, he said, had aggrieved many Ghanaians across religious lines because it violated the country’s constitutional order and values of tolerance and compassion.
“Violence will not fix what words have broken, and vigilante retribution will never replace the rule of law in Ghana,” he said.
The IGP said the Police had arrested the Islamic cleric accused of calling for extrajudicial killings, the Christian cleric accused of making derogatory comments about Prophet Mohammed, and the individual captured on video assaulting the handcuffed Christian cleric.
He said all three were on bail while investigations continued.
The meeting also witnessed the public reconciliation of the three individuals at the centre of the recent tensions, with the two Muslims and the Christian cleric embracing in the presence of religious and security leaders.
Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, described the reconciliation as an important step towards restoring calm following the incidents involving the clerics.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, who witnessed the reconciliation, urged Ghanaians to protect the country’s longstanding peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths.
He said Christians and Muslims belonged to one human family and that religious diversity should promote mutual understanding rather than conflict.
“My plea is that let us not undermine and destroy this gift of God,” he said.
Bishop Dr Agyei Lawson, speaking on behalf of the Christian community, said religious diversity was one of Ghana’s strengths and urged religious leaders to promote understanding, tolerance and unity.
“Regardless of our faith and traditions, we are first and foremost Ghanaians. Our diversity should unite us and not divide us,” he said.
He pledged the Christian community’s continued partnership with the Police Service to promote a peaceful, secure and harmonious Ghana.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana, Shia Muslim community and Council of Zongo Chiefs.
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