Catholic bishop tells Muslims sustain peace and tolerance

The Catholic bishop of Wa, Ghana, has called on Muslims to sustain tolerance and peaceful co-existence. He added Muslims must pay more attention to things that unite them rather than things that divide them.

Hawzah News Agency (WA, Ghana) - Most Reverend Richard Kuuia Baawobr has called on Muslims to sustain the practices of the Wangara Islamic Tradition in Ghana.

“The ‘Wangara Islamic Tradition’ is one of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence and all must hail and sustain it”, he said.

Most Reverend Baawobr said when the “Wangara Muslims came to Ghana; they tolerated the Ghanaian traditional religious adherents and Christians and willingly worked for and under “pagan” kings and chiefs.

This tradition of tolerance and peaceful co-existence, he said, united traditional believers, Muslims and Christians to fight together for independence and this has been the foundation of peace and unity in the country over the years.

Most Reverend Baawobr said this in a goodwill message to the Sunni Muslims at the 23rd Annual National Ramadan Conference in Wa, which was held under the theme: “Religious tolerance, a means to national development”.

The Catholic Bishop said: “this unity and peace, the legacy of “Wangara Islamic tradition” in Ghana must be fostered at all levels and by all Ghanaians.

In the light of this, Most Reverend Baawobr appealed to all Ghanaian Muslims who come back home from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Kuwait and Libya to respect and promote “this Wangara Islamic tradition of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence in Ghana”.

“We must develop and establish our own Ghanaian Islam”, Most Reverend Baawobr said.

Most Reverend Baawobr said the theme for the event was appropriate as it is a great challenge and clarion call to all Ghanaians to put aside their religious, political and cultural difference and unite to build Ghana as a strong, democratic and peaceful nation.

He said one of the basic causes of intolerance was the unwillingness to accept and cherish some differences, noting: “differences and diversities are bound to arise and we must avoid allowing them to divide us but rather use them to enrich ourselves”.

“Let us be proud of our differences and let us always celebrate our diversities”, he said.

He added Muslims must pay more attention to things that unite them rather than things that divide them.