Zongo Development Coordinator faces backlash for receiving Israeli Eid gifts
Accra: Ben Abdallah Banda, Coordinator for the Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat, has come under fire for receiving and facilitating the distribution of Eid gifts from the Israeli Embassy in Ghana to Muslims and Zongo communities in Accra.
The gesture comes at a time when millions of Palestinians face starvation, with over 30,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, over a 6-month siege on Gaza by Israeli forces.
According to a news report sourced from the embassy in Ghana, the Embassy said it partnered with the Zongo and Inner-Cities Development Secretariat to present various items to Muslim communities in Accra as part of activities to mark this year’s Eid ul-Fitr in Ghana.
The report claimed that dozens of older men and women from the Ayawaso East Constituency have received various food items to support their celebration.
Among key stakeholder groups angered by the development was the Coalition of Muslim Organisations of Ghana (COMOG), which on April 12, 2024, released a press statement to express its dissatisfaction with the turn of events.
The Coalition said the acceptance of food items from the Israeli Ambassador indicated the indolence of the coordinator to the plight of fellow Muslims under Israeli atrocities in Gaza and other Palestinian-occupied territories.
“Is the action of Abdallah Banda, Zongo, and the Inner City Development Secretariat supposed to suggest that they are unaware of the carnage and atrocities in Palestine perpetrated by the State of Israel?
“How could they stoop so low, succumbing to the bait of the Zionist State of Israel, giving them the opportunity to cover up their enmity and savagery against humanity?” COMOG queried.
It added, “We cannot pretend to be oblivious to the inhumane treatment that has been unleashed on the innocent people of Palestine since the creation of the Zionist State of Israel.”
“If they have any compassion for Muslims, they should show it to their next-door neighbours who need it more.” The statement, signed by Mohammed Shamsudeen Shaibu, Chairman of the of the Media and Research Committee, read.
COMOG has called for the return of the items and a boycott of the activities of the Secretariat.
The Zongo and Inner Cities Secretariat was yet to comment on the issue.
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