Ghanaians are pouring out their outrage at the President’s response to a question on homosexual rights posed to him by Al Jazeera’s Jane Dutton.
Below is an excerpt of the President’s answer to the question;
“this is the socio-cultural issue if you like…I don’t believe that in Ghana, so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that will say: ‘Change it [the law], let’s then have a new paradigm in Ghana. I grew up in England; I went to school as a young boy in England and I grew up at a time in England when homosexuality was banned there, it was illegal and I lived in the period when British politicians thought it was anathema to think about changing the law and suddenly the activities of individuals, of groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew and grew and grew stronger and it forced a change in law. I believe those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation. At the moment, I don’t feel and I don’t see that in Ghana, there is that strong current of opinion that will say: ‘This is something that we need even deal with’. It’s not, so far, a matter which is on the agenda.” [Al Jazeera/TV3 Ghana]
Speaking on TV3, Muslim Cleric and Spokesperson for the Office of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armeyawo Shaibu expressed some dissatisfaction with the President’s response, explaining that, given the cultural and religious setting of the country, the President ought to have been more forthright with the country’s stance. According to him, the country’s stance is clear and there is no need to create a contrary perception. Muslim community and the Christian community together rejects the practice of homosexuality and that should be made clear to the proponents of gay rights.
In 2013 when the former President Barack Obama visited Africa, religious leaders expressed grave concerns about the insistence of Western governments for African countries to legalize homosexuality. Speaking at a conference held in Senegal, Sheikh Saliou Mbacke, a Senegalese Muslim leader who coordinates the Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa said; “The subject of homosexuality must not be used as a tool to blackmail and coerce society to defy God’s command, which is more important than any world power,” he said. “We will oppose any manner of arm-twisting that threatens us to embrace it in our societies.”
(c)thetodaysmuslim.com
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings