The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra – The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu has called on Ghanaian Muslims to exercise restraint as leadership worked to resolve the fasting impasse at the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast.

The call was based on the outcome of a meeting between the Muslim leadership of the Methodist Church and Muslim representatives.

A delegation made up of members of the Muslim Caucus of Parliament and other Muslim groups had met with the Methodist Church headed by the Presiding Bishop, Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Muslim representative expressed surprise at the turn of events when the Methodist Church was purported to have released a statement countering the Ghana Education Service (GES) over a directive that “does not satisfactorily resolve our concern but is accepted”.

“The leadership of the Muslim stakeholders under the patronage of the National Chief Imam is still waiting to hear from the leadership of the Methodist Church on the outcome of the meeting as we were assured” the statement read.

The representatives have called on all stakeholders to play their role in ensuring that the country continues to be an oasis of peace and harmonious living within the sub-region and Africa.

“We also wish to entreat fellow Ghanaians, and our non-Muslim brethren who wish to comment on the matter publicly to exercise restraints in their choice of words and avoid politicising this matter,” the statement added.

The Muslim delegation also expressed confidence in the tact and leadership of the Methodist Church, the Minister of Education, the Director-General of the GES and the board of Wesley Girls High School to resolve the issue without “it degenerating into anything untoward”.

The Muslim delegation that met the leadership of the Methodist church on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, included Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, MP for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, MP for Gushegu, Hassan Tampuli, and MP for Tolon constituency Habib Iddrisu.

Other representatives were Mallam Awal Shuaib Office of National Chief Imam; Sheik Salman Mohammed Alhassan from Ahlus Sunnah Waljamaa; Dr Haruna Zagoon- Sayeed, the Executive Director of Baraka Policy Institute (BPI) and Superintendent Imam Hussein Abdul-Rahim of Islamic Affairs, Ghana Police Service.