The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: Mohammed Abdul Salam, the Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), has shared photos of himself and other Muslim workers having iftar (breaking of fast) at his office, drawing condemnation online.

The images shared on Friday on an unverified Facebook account of the NLA boss and other accounts were captioned, “In the spirit of Islam, I joined my brothers and sisters at the NLA for iftar. I encourage them to hold on to the pillars of faith, self-discipline, and empathy towards others, drawing them closer to Allah.”

In response, users on the social media platforms, mostly bearing Muslim identities, have questioned the rationale for the post, with others suggesting an attempt by the former Northern regional secretary general to whitewash his image.

He came under pressure when he was appointed to head the NLA despite being a Muslim.

To the disappointment of many, he accepted the appointment and proceeded to grant an interview justifying his appointment.

Mohammed Yakubu Kpalyogu, a Facebook user, commented, “Using lotto money to break your fast? Stop punishing your stomach, Boss.”

Another user by the name of Ababa Babamaigida also commented, “There’s no spirit of Islam in the lotto business!”

“You are a disgrace to Islam; fear Allah. One day you shall die and be held accountable; you shall face Allah’s judgement. Lotto is haram even to Christians,” Danlad Zakaria Iddrisou, another Facebook user, added.

On the Iqra page Foundation II platform, a popular Facebook blog page for the Muslim and Zongo community, the images of the iftar were shared with the caption, “HARAAM IS HARAAM EVEN IF THE WHOLE OF SAUDI ARABIA OR IRAN IS DOING IT. INAALILLAHI WA INNAA ELAIHI RAAAJWUUN”

In response, Ruquyyah Mohammed Yahya, a follower of the page, said, “This guy intentionally organised the iftar to mock us and tell us he’s not the only Muslim, so we should f$$k off. Some of us in the comment section don’t understand Islam. Anyway, may Allah guide and distance us from everything gambling.”

Abdallah Khalid Saeed, also a follower of the page, said, “The man is very shameless and proud of the obvious sin he’s committing. A Muslim has been the head of all betting and lotteries, which Allah has obviously made forbidden.”

He continued, “But our mission as Muslims is to point it out clearly to him and his cronies about the haram and leave him to Allah, but we can’t compel him to leave the job if his conscience and faith don’t guide him.

He added that “this man doesn’t show any sign of remorse; we leave him to Allah with the shame he’s bringing to Islam and Muslims. If Bawumia did it and we constantly castigated him, we will be hypocrites to remain silent if Abdul Salam also does it.”

Despite the criticisms, there were some users who commended the NLA boss and also prayed for him.

“That is great. May Allah guard and guide you,” said Mohammed Inusah, Facebook user.

Mohammed Mutaru Alhassan also said, “May Allah continue to accept our Du’a.”