The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, Wednesday urged Moslems in Ghana and beyond to shun any action that would undermine the peace of the nation and bring the image of their faith into disrepute.
In a statement issued by his Office in Accra, the Sheikh Nuhu Sharabutu advised them to uphold the Islamic tenets of peace, tolerance and peaceful co-existence with people of other faiths at all costs.
This follows the angry and violent reactions that have greeted the New Year’s Eve pronouncement by the Reverend Isaac Owusu-Bempah, the Head Pastor of the Glorious Word and Power Ministries International, that he had seen a vision, which indicated that the revered Moslem leader could die in 2019.
Rev. Owusu-Bempah, who asked the Muslim Community to pray for the National Chief Imam, also indicated that some other Ghanaian leaders could pass on in the year, according to his visions.
Amidst criticisms across the country over what many call the ‘doomsday prophecies’, some irate youth on Wednesday went to the Odorkor Branch of the Church and vandalized some property on the premise.
They smashed some of the windows of an uncompleted building and pulled down a giant sign post with Rev Owusu Bempah’s portrait, located at the frontage of the church.
A video of their action went viral on social media and got posted on some mainstream portals.
The National Chief Imam, however, emphasised in his statement that Islam abhorred chaotic acts and intolerance.
On the subject of the revelation, the renowned cleric, who is almost a century old, said: “Islam, indeed teaches us that death is inevitable and every soul shall taste death as enshrined in the Holy Quran,” the statement said. “Death is not bound by age or any condition of life”.
Meanwhile, the immediate past General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has asked church leaders to stop predicting the deaths of societal leaders at their watchnight services and advised the media to stop publicising such messages.
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GNA
