PRESS STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE PPF PROJECT RESAERCH TEAM ON
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE ISSUE OF APPOINTMENTS OF GREATER ACCRA REGIONAL IMAM
AND ITS ASOOCIATED ISSUES
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE (12/05/2016)
GHANA MUST BE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
ABSENCE OF SUCCESSION PLAN FOR THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL CHIEF IMAM
In
The Name Of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful.
The PPF
PROJECT RESAERCH TEAM is very highly disappointed with the Muslim
leadership in Ghana regarding the lack of urgency and seriousness towards
implementing invaluable recommendations of the comprehensive report of its
seven (7) year, 2008-2014, national research work on the way forward on the
reorganization of the Muslims leadership front especially on the critical issue
of succession planning for the office of the national chief imam and regional
imams in Ghana.
From 2008 till now, the PPF research team has
engaged and collated views of over two hundred (200) cross sectional national
Muslim leadership: The National Chief Imam and His Deputy, Regional Imams,
Imams and Key Scholars of all Muslim Sect/Groupings, Muslim Professionals’,
Representatives of Key Muslim Organizations all over the ten regions of Ghana
on the way forward regarding this sensitive issue of national security concern.
In 2014, the report of the research was
published and its recommendations and research findings extensively discussed
with His Eminence the National Chief Imam of Ghana, The Office of The National
Chief Imam, and The Imams of The Various Muslim Sects As well As the Muslim
Caucus of Parliament. Audio visual recordings of the views of key Muslim Imams
in Ghana has been widely circulated in both traditional and social media
circles to stimulate Muslim leadership to take action. On the contrary recent
events indicate that not much has been done with the content of the report.
In line with that, We find the recent
outburst of His Spiritual Eminence, the National Chief Imam of Ghana, sheikh
Usman Nuhu Sharubutu regarding the move by some chiefs to appoint a greater Accra
chief imam a palpable indication of the absence of a well defined succession
planning, an effective inclusive platform and well laid down consultative
process for addressing such important issues in spite of available blue print base
on research findings.
The Big Question: What happens after our beloved National
Chief Imaam? This is one crucial question the PPF
team kept asking Muslim imaams, scholars and leaders across the 10 regions of
Ghana during our research. The fact
is that, nobody has immunity over death. Sooner or later, our beloved National
Chief Imaam of Ghana (Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Shaarubutu) and his deputy (Sheikh
Hajj Kamaludeen) will die! It is a reality that will dawn on us as Muslims in
Ghana. We will wake up one day and realize our leader, Imaam, father, peace-maker,
and a key contributor of our unity and national honor is no more. We pray that
Allah spares his life for some more years (Aaaamin). What happens after his demise? How do we continue to maintain the
esteemed office he occupied? Do we have any structure and succession plan
like the Ahmadiya which facilitated smooth transition after Ameer Maulvi Wahab
Adam?
These are questions Muslims must be seriously concerned
about. The time is right for us to get out of our comfort zones and begin to
plan very well. If we fail to have a national plan as Muslims, we will have a
situation in the future where sectarian,
political, regional, and tribal factors
become reasons for conflict, struggle,
and tension in the Muslim community. We would have begun a journey of our
backward depreciation. May Allah save us. (Ameeen)
Regardless of the seeming neglect of the
report, the exploit of the PPF Project is currently gaining international recognition
as the research team prepares to publish proposed organogram structure that outlines
how to re-organize and re-engineer current muslim leadership
arrangement into a well coordinated structure. We therefore will like to use this opportunity to re-echo
on five (5) important recommendations that were captured in the report dubbed, The
Way Forward For Muslims In Ghana.
1)
The revival or re-formation of National Council of Ulamaa/Shura Council with
immediate effect is necessary.
This council should include Imaams of the various Muslim groups, other key Imaams
of national character, carefully selected Imaams from all the ten (10) regions
of Ghana and some key Muslim chiefs. The council may be appropriately known as
the National Shura Council of Ghana.
Reflecting their responsibility of ensuring broad consensus on issues of
selecting future national chief Imaams and their deputies among other purely
religious duties. This council should be replicated as Regional and District Shura Council in
all the regions to deal with selection of regional and district Imaams
respectively. We hope the claim of an existing national council of Ulamaa is
true, and then all we need is its revivalism to be truly national in character.
2)
Methodology of selecting Imams: Consultation is the best;The system of rotating the dice on Imaams based
on sects/groups is not an ideal solution considering what we have seen with
such system in national chieftaincy conflicts. Balloting
as suggested by others is totally out of the option. We know it worked for the people of WA
municipality as indicated by Dr. Imam Seidu Mahama, their situation was
special, but we can't leave such an issue of national magnitude and importance
to the game of chance and probability. Relatively, the best option left is
appointment base on consensus and consultation among members of the recommended
council. With the equal and fair representation of Imaams cutting across
all sectarian divide, any potential Imaam to be appointed as National
Chief Imaam or Deputy will need endorsement from Imaams of the other
groups in the council. An important and compelling reason for peace and unity.
This approach also conforms to what Quran 42:38 refers to as.. “ And the matter amongst
them is that of consultation..”
3) Two National Deputy Chief Imaams: Another important thing that must be reengineered very well
is our deputization arrangement. We agree with Sheikh Osman Bari's Suggestion
that, more than one Deputy National Imaam is needed. However, we suggest it is
capped at just two deputies to ensure that at any particular point in time, we
have the Tijaaniya, Ahlu-Sunna and Shia occupy a position and have roles to
play in the IMAMSHIP STRUTCTURE.
4) Regulation on Appointments: Hence if the council appoints the Imaam who is for example,
FROM GROUP A his two deputies must be appointed from GROUP B and C. These
two Deputy Imaams must be given more specific and well defined roles to
offload the overburdening of the National Chief Imaam of attending to religious
issues across all the Ten (10) regions of Ghana. This system will
strengthen our cherished unity and breeds more consultations among Muslim Imaams
from all the Ten (10) regions of Ghana.
5) Muslim Council Of Ghana:
The other administrative and
managerial responsibilities of promoting education, health, and welfare of
Muslims amongst other associated duties be left for a re-organized front of
Muslim professionals and intellectuals, under a must formed Muslim Council of Ghana. This council
does not seek to collapse the individual Muslim organizations currently but
rather create an umbrella platform for representatives of all Muslim
organization to meet
and work together.
In conclusion, the secretariat office of
Sheikh DR. Usman Nuhu Shaarubutu must seriously provide platforms or support
platforms such as that of the PPF for the reorganization agenda. PPF recommends
that, the Office of the National Chief Imaam must urgently lead in this
situational analyses and shaping of the future system and structure of
Muslims.
SIGNED
Alhaji
Abdulsalam Mohammed.ch.cc
The
Director: Ppf Project
Lead
Researcher/Consultant/Activist
Cc : To All Muslim Stakeholders In Ghana
To Media
To General Public
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