Keep tolerance in schools

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appealed to all stakeholders in the educational sector to keep the tolerance that has served the nation so well in matters of religion.

He said over the years, the schools had managed to find a reasonable atmosphere to enable students to flourish and adapt to changing times.

President Akufo-Addo, who was speaking at this year’s Ramadan celebration at the forecourt of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in Accra yesterday, therefore urged that “we do not turn them (schools) into the places to fight ideological and religious battles”.

The celebration was held under strict COVID-19 preventive protocols.

Virtual event

It was the second time running that the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration was organised at the GBC, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was, however, telecast live on Ghana Television (GTV).

Last year’s celebration was held for a handful of people but this year’s attracted a relatively larger number.

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, himself a Muslim, and his wife, Mrs Samira Bawumia, some Members of Parliament (MPs) and Ministers of State were at the celebration.

The Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, led the congregational prayers.

Boarding school

President Akufo-Addo said boarding schools in the country had traditionally served as training grounds for learning about one another's food, songs and dances and served as breeding ground for tolerance, and losing the fear of the unknown as well as forge lifelong friendship.

“We should be proud that our national Constitution simply reinforces these characteristics, and it should, therefore, be easy for us to uphold these basic and fundamental tenets that hold us together.

Over “the years, the schools have by and large managed to find a reasonable, balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish and this has served us well. The schools have evolved and adapted their practices to suit the times and I would urge that we do not turn them into the place to fight ideological battles, ” the President said.

Wesley Girls case

On the specific case of the Wesley Girls Senior High School (SHS), the President said the Ministry of Education, the leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities and the leadership of the school were engaged in solemn discussions on the way forward.

He expressed the hope that a satisfactory solution would be found for all.

Constitution

President Akufo-Addo said the supreme law of the land guaranteed freedom of worship for all its citizens and quoted Article 21 (c) which states that all persons shall have the right to freedom to practise any religion and to manifest such practice.

He said it was also worth pointing out that the religious tolerance in the country did not emerge from law enforcement or the Constitution but from long-standing respect for one another's beliefs systems.

Consequently, the President urged Ghanaians to be proud that their national Constitution simply reinforced those characteristics.

On the basis of that, he said it should be easy for all Ghanaians to uphold those basic and fundamental tenets that held the people together.

National Chief Imam praised

President Akufo-Addo was full of praise for the National Chief Imam for the leadership he had shown over the years, and also thanked the entire Muslim community for the support given to his administration.

“I thank the Muslim community in Ghana for the continued support for my programme of transformation. Insha Allah, I shall continue to work with and for you for the peace, progress and prosperity of our country. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, for his exemplary leadership not only of the Muslim flock but also of our country generally,” he said.

The President further said of the National Chief Imam: “ The National Chief Imam is the very epitome of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. He continues to make our country the envy of the world for its religious tolerance. His inter and intra-religious cooperation is amazing and sets Muslim communities in our country for which we owe him a great debt of gratitude.”

 Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition

President Akufo-Addo said he was a proud adherent of the Dankwa Busia and Dombo political tradition, which led to the creation of the United Party (UP) , a political tradition that had multiplicity of ethnicities and belief systems.

He said in the Fourth Republic, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had demonstrated the beauty of the Christian and Muslim leadership, by having a Muslim as Vice-President to ensure that the government built an inclusive society that created opportunity for all.

Young people

Taking a look at COVID-19, the President said the pandemic had culminated in untold economic challenges and some temporary difficulties to countries around the world.

He, however, indicated that the country’s economy was recovering faster and better than many economies around the world, both developed and developing.

President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that the country would return to the strong growth that characterised the development of its economy from 2017 to 2020.

He said even in the face of the pandemic, the government had remained faithful to its flagship programmes and all its commitments to the people.

The President appealed to the young people to keep the faith because the country would weather the storm together and create the conditions that would allow them to realise their God-given potential.

Policies and programmes

Sheikh Sharubutu commended the government for the policies and programmes instituted to improve the well-being and quality of life of Ghanaians.

He said government’s renewed commitment to fight illegal mining to save the water bodies and forest from destruction deserved praise.

The National Chief Imam said he also noted with satisfaction the decision by the President to make his position clear on the detestable practice of same-sex marriage and related homosexual orientations, which were considered predatory to the institution of the family.

With the Wesley Girls SHS matter, he expressed delight that the tension that arose had subsided and as law-abiding citizens, Muslims will not do anything to disturb the peace of the country.

” Our Interfaith harmony and solidarity has suffered a major setback by the recent media altercations on the religious freedom and justice,” he said, but gave an assurance that Muslims would cooperate in any step or measure taken by all stakeholders and state authorities to bring finality to the misunderstanding.