Audio By Carbonatix
The Christian Council of Ghana has condemned in no uncertain terms the planned burning of copies of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, by Terry Jones, a pastor in the US.
General Secretary of the Council Reverend Fred Deegbe told X FM, an Accra based radio station; the event will spark a global animosity between Muslims and Christians and should be condemned.
Terry Jones has threatened to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 bloody bombings by terror group Al-Qaeda. Though he has put his actions on hold, there have been protest marches in some parts of the world against the intended event. The US president, Barack Obama has warned that the act could serve as an al-Qaeda “recruitment bonanza”, while US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates asked the pastor to cancel the event.
Even though the pastor has said that his plan to burn the Koran has been put on hold, Rev Deegbe could not fathom why the pastor would come up with the idea in the first place. “I do not see any purpose that he wants to serve with his intended action. There is no point in what he is doing no matter the justification he gives to it”, he said.
Rev Deegbe said pastor Jones’ explanation that “Christians must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam” does not sink in. “You do not correct wrong with the wrong, is he now waking up to what was done so many years ago? Can what he is seeking to do reverse what was done?” Rev. Deegbe queried.
He said the pastor’s intentions will cause more calamities for himself and other Christians across the globe. “We live in a world where people are fundamentally looking for a cause to engage in so many nefarious activities and so you need not trigger anything that draws religious sentiments and not expect a reaction,” Rev Deegbe said.
He however assured the Muslim community in Ghana of the Christian Councils unflinching love and support saying he hopes the sentiments expressed by the US pastor not affects the cordial relationship between the two religious bodies in Ghana.
Meanwhile, a Muslim Scholar has described the pastor’s intentions as very unfair and irresponsible. Sheik Aremeyaw Shaibu said “to be able to eradicate terrorism, you should not engage in acts that will rather generate some more violence.”
He said should the pastor go ahead to burn the Koran on 9/11, the implication could be very disastrous. “It would generate so much violence in countries around the world, especially countries where there are existing conflicts between Muslims and Christians.
Sheik Aremeyaw Shaibu used the occasion to wish members of the Muslim community a happy Eid-il-Ftr. He entreated Muslim youths to live by what they studied in the month-long Ramadan period and not to engage in acts of hooliganism.
Credit: X FM 95.1/Ghana
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