SHIA Muslims in Ghana on Saturday went on a procession in Accra to mark the “Day of Ashuraa” in honour of Imam Husain, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was brutally killed with his 72 men at the plains of Karbala in present day Iraq in 61 AH.
They commenced the procession at Mamobi, the Rasul Al-Akram Mosque to Nima roundabout, Newtown, Kotobabi and ended at the Alajo AstroTurf where they were addressed by the Shia National Imam, Sheikh Abubakar Ahmed Kamaludeen.
He said the martyrdom of Imam Husain represented a great sacrifice to instil discipline, maintain justice and safeguard humanity and the religion of Islam, adding the “preservation of justice against corruption, truth against deception, reason against emotion should be the priority of the youth, policy makers, civil society, and institutions.”
Touching on other topical issues, Sheikh Kamaludeen, said the attempt to introduce LGBTQI+ in the country had been one of the greatest threats facing the country in its history.
“LGBTQI+ is unquestionably foreign, and completely opposed to the norms and values bequeathed unto us by our ancestors. We caution our political authorities, chiefs, civil society, clerics to remain resolute and not to succumb to the pressures of any so-called power, group to lobby to corrupt the morality of our youth,” he said.
On politics, he said since the beginning of the fourth republic, the peace and security of the country had always been put to test when elections were approaching, saying “we are once again at a crossroad, and therefore we urge the political parties to embark on a clean electioneering campaign devoid of threats and the use of derogatory words considering the impending presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party NPP and the 2024 general elections.
As a procedure for choosing representatives and making a choice between alternative policies or issues, election is about exercising our civil responsibility and has nothing to do with casting aspersions against one another.”
Sheikh Kamaludeen added that violent extremism was also a “cancerous tumor threatening the human race and moving across all borders,” observing that the security services alone could not decisively fight the menace of violent extremism without the real support of the citizens.
“To fight and combat such dangers, we must be free and courageous to report suspicious activities, individuals and groups to the appropriate authorities for redress,” he said.
On the violent conflict in Bawku, he said it was one of the unfortunate developments in the country that still posed a serious danger to the peace and security of the country and beyond.
“The violent extremists currently ravaging Burkina Faso and the Sahel can infiltrate into the country using unapproved routes. We, therefore, urge the government and all stakeholders, to up the ante in the fight against violent extremism, adding that these and others were the issues strongly resisted by Imam Husain, as the grandson of the Holy Prophet.
