President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghanaians not to take the country’s religious freedom and peaceful coexistence for granted, calling on pastors, imams and other religious leaders to exercise restraint in their public statements and social media engagements.
President Mahama made the remarks amid a recent religious controversy involving a Muslim cleric and a Christian pastor, which reportedly escalated from online exchanges and religious insults to arrests and an alleged physical assault while in custody.
Speaking at the 32nd Biennial General Council Meeting of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, held at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, the President said the incident had reminded the country of the need to protect Ghana’s longstanding tradition of religious tolerance and interfaith harmony.
Mahama warns against religious provocation
President Mahama described the reported comments by the two religious figures, as well as the subsequent physical assault, as unfortunate and stressed that such incidents should not be allowed to damage relations between Christians, Muslims and other religious groups in Ghana.
He noted that religious communities have lived peacefully together for generations, sharing families, schools, workplaces, security services and public institutions.
According to the President, Ghana’s peaceful religious coexistence remains one of the country’s most important national assets and must be protected.
He emphasized that while the Ghana Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and the right to express one’s faith, those freedoms do not give anyone the right to insult another person’s religion, incite violence or take the law into their own hands.
“Religious conviction must never become religious provocation,” President Mahama stressed.
He further urged religious leaders and their followers to ensure that disagreements do not turn into hatred, intimidation or physical attacks.
President calls for restraint on social media
The President also warned that statements made from pulpits, mosques or social media platforms can spread rapidly and trigger tensions far beyond what the original speaker intended.
He therefore appealed to religious leaders to be more responsible when communicating publicly, particularly on social media, where inflammatory religious content can quickly reach thousands of people.
President Mahama said disagreements over religious beliefs should always be handled through dialogue, tolerance, forgiveness and peaceful conflict resolution.
Quoting the Bible, he reminded Christians of the call to “live at peace with everyone” and encouraged believers to demonstrate peaceful conduct even when faced with religious differences.
Mahama commends religious leaders and Police
President Mahama commended Inspector-General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu and other religious leaders who intervened to promote reconciliation following the controversy.
He said their efforts reflected the spirit of the Ghanaian society that values peace, religious tolerance and national unity.
However, he stressed that while dialogue and reconciliation were important, the law must be allowed to operate fairly and impartially.
He cautioned against mob justice, retaliation and violence, insisting that responses to provocation should always respect due process and human dignity.
Call for stronger interfaith dialogue
President Mahama appealed to the leadership of the Assemblies of God, Ghana and other Christian organisations to strengthen collaboration with Muslim leaders, traditional authorities and the National Peace Council.
He particularly encouraged greater investment in interfaith dialogue among young people to help build a generation that understands and respects Ghana’s religious diversity.
The President said religious diversity should not be viewed as a weakness but as a source of strength when it is built on mutual respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Mahama and First Lady honoured by Assemblies of God
During the event, the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, presented the Kingdom Advancement Award to President Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama.
The award recognised their support for the construction of 10 legacy temples for the church, each equipped with a pastor’s office and a fully furnished mission house. The facilities have since been handed over to Assemblies of God, Ghana.
President Mahama also received the church’s Great Commission Award, described as its highest soul-winning honour, on behalf of the First Lady.
The recognition was linked to Mrs Mahama’s role in leading her husband to Christianity in 2005, as well as her philanthropic work through the Lordina Foundation.
The citation accompanying the award also recognised the foundation’s provision of free medical care to retired ministers, spouses of retired ministers and widows of deceased Assemblies of God pastors.
Religious freedom remains key to Ghana’s peace
President Mahama’s comments come as Ghana continues to promote religious freedom, interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence among its diverse religious communities.
His message was clear: freedom of worship must be accompanied by responsibility, respect for other faiths and commitment to the rule of law.
Source: newsthemegh.com