A year ago
A nationwide meeting between Catholic and Muslim leaders was organized, and everyone was urged to vigorously advance religious tolerance and harmonious coexistence in the nation.
On May 11, 2023, Accra played host to the second annual National Catholic/Muslim Leaders' Dialogue Conference.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) and the Office of the National Chief Imam jointly planned it with the goal of strengthening ties between Christians and Muslims for the benefit of the country.
The conference, which brought together high-ranking clerics from the country's major Islamic sects and archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church, had as its topic "Overcoming the Barriers of Religious Prejudice for Sustainable National Peace and Development: Success and Challenges."
The National Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana, and the National Commission for Civic Education (N.C.C.E.) were also represented, along with Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
Diversity in peace
Sheikh Usmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam who presided over the discourse, exhorted everyone to live a life oriented toward religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
That, he claimed, was due to the fact that Allah had made people from a variety of civilizations, tribes, races, and ethnicities, not so that there would be wars and conflicts but rather so that people might respect one another and be helpful to one another.
The Muslim cleric added that Christians and Muslims should submit to Allah's will by showing gratitude for the country's current state of peace, speaking through his spokesperson, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu.
enjoyed at a time when political and social turmoil existed in some of the region's nations.
Islamic viewpoint
Dr. Rabiyatu Ammah, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Department for the Study of Religions, asked Muslims to refrain from extrapolating some Quranic verses in order to prevent conflicts with adherents of other faiths.
"Who informed you that the Quran commands you to kill anybody you come across if they are not your own? I will accept that certain Muslim attitudes give the wrong picture of Islam," she remarked.
Because this was a genuine message, she urged Muslims to uphold the fundamental principles and qualities of Islam, namely, peace and unity.
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