Muslim youth cautioned against joining radical groups
Islamic scholars have cautioned Muslim youth against joining radical groups such as the Islamic State (IS) or Boko Haram, since the activities of such groups are contrary to the teachings and tenets of Islam.
Advertisement
Reacting to the purported recruitment of Nazir Nortei Alema, a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), into the IS, the Islamic scholars told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the so-called IS and the other Jihadist groups were only using innocent people to advance their political and economic ideologies.
In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, a member of the Advisory Council of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, and the Chairman of the National Representative Assembly of the Ahlussunna Wal-Jama’a, Sheikh Salman Mohammed Alhassan, said what the radical groups were doing had nothing to do with Islam.
They said it was unfortunate that some Ghanaian Muslim youth who lacked true Islamic knowledge were being influenced by unscrupulous people on the Internet to join the violent killing of innocent people in the name of Islam.
Nazir, who has a degree in Geography and Rural Development, is reported to be one of the 10 suspected Muslim youth from Ghana who have joined the IS.
Sheikh Armiyawo said the news of the purported recruitment of Nazir “came as a shock and was received with trepidation and anxiety”.
“It gives a signal that whatever is happening elsewhere can influence the mindset of Ghanaians,” he said, and indicated that the situation “poses a danger to young people who have the potential to contribute to the development of their communities”.
He said since the news broke, members of the council had been meeting to discuss how to unravel the modus operandi of the supposed recruitment agents.
He said members of the council were also wondering whether there were any splinter groups, aside from the Ghana Muslim Students Association (GMSA), operating in the country’s educational institutions.
He said the council was interested in finding out who their links and sponsors were, as well as the local representatives.
Sheikh Armiyawo, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Islamic Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), said the next step was to consider the messages that some purported Islamic scholars used in mosques and in the media to see whether they bore any radical undertones.
Islam against violence
He said Islam was against the killing and maiming of people in the name of religion, noting that it did not intend to use violence to take political control of the world but rather use its message of peace, tolerance and compassion to reach out to every corner of the world.
Therefore, he said, the ideology of IS, which bordered on mass murder, was contrary to the teachings of Islam and the traditions of Prophet Muhammed.
Ahlussunna Wal-Jama’a
Sheikh Salman asked individuals and groups not to associate themselves in any way with the IS, since the IS members were ignorant individuals, mostly new converts from Europe, Russia and America, who were advancing their political and economic agenda.
“We, Islamic scholars, are condemning the alignment of any individual or group with the so-called IS because it has never been Islamic. It has nothing to do with Islam,” he said.
Sheikh Salman, who is also the Imam of the Al-Hashim Mosque (2000 Mosque) in Accra, said the fundamental teaching of the IS went against the teachings of Islam and the rules of Jihad.
For instance, he said, the IS had a leader who could not be identified and also there was no known Islamic body responsible for his appointment.
Besides, he said, majority of the people in Syria and Iraq were Muslims, which defeated their argument of propagating Islam or establishing an Islamic state.
Again, he said, it was not Islamic for Muslims to kill fellow Muslims or non-Muslims who had not waged a war against Islam, which was the stock in trade of the IS.
Sheikh Salman said members of the IS needed to understand the true teachings of Islam to be able to apply Islamic laws.
Advertisement
For instance, he said, there were Islamic laws which were circumstantial, some had been abrogated and others were applicable to particular situations.
Internet palaver
He cautioned the youth against taking fake Islamic scholars on the Internet as their mentors and coaches, since those people would feed them with distorted Islam.
He asked the youth to refer to Islamic scholars for interpretation of the Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammed to avoid falling prey to people who wanted to propagate their political and economic agenda.