The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra- Imam Abdul Razak Iddriss Alhassan, a Muslim cleric says traditional rulers and politicians must know their limitations when exercising their authority in matters of religion.

The taking of religious decisions such as the choosing of an Imam, he said should be the sole preserve of clerics devoid of the meddling of politicians and chiefs who most times tend to have parochial interests.

“Our fear is that a time will come when the traditional rulers will be encouraged enough to say they don’t want a particular cleric to lead congregational prayers anymore.

“It is the clergy who ordain a cleric likewise do traditional rulers coronate a chief and a politician appoints a politician,” he said.

The Mamobi-based Imam made the remarks in relation to an attempt by some community leaders including politicians and chiefs to appoint, as a deputy Imam, the son of the late Imam of the Mamobi community, Imam Iddi who died in October last year.

He said Imamate is neither inheritance nor granted on the ground of sympathy as it entailed the acquisition of knowledge which is not hereditary.

The appointment of someone who according to him, “is not a student of knowledge” to be a deputy to Sheikh Nuhu Jajjah, the substantive Imam was an “injustice” and a “shame” to a community of qualified renowned scholars.

He likened the current situation to asking a primary school leaver with access to surgical instruments to perform surgery on behalf of his father who died as a well-trained heart surgeon.

“We don’t inherit knowledge and secondly chiefs have no business appointing Imams. We will therefore not accept any attempt to deprive clerics the right to choose who to lead in matters of religion” he said.