An Islamic Scholar and Cleric, Sheikh M. Awal Larry has described as disrespectful comments purportedly made by Deputy Finance Minister, Fifi Kwetey about Muslims and the presidency. Recently leaked US diplomatic cables published by the international whistleblower website, Wikileaks, quoted the Deputy Finance Minister as saying that a ‘Muslim can never become president in Ghana’. His alleged comments have drawn serious criticisms from sections of the Muslim community with the latest criticism coming from Sheikh Awal Larry. According to the Muslim Cleric, Mr. Kwetey’s comments are an indication of the ruling party’s discrimination against Muslims in the country. Speaking on Multi TV’s political talk show, Minority Caucus, the Islamic Scholar said his investigations have revealed that Mr. Kwetey “is even not a Christian, because if he is a Christian he will respect Islam. He is not a godly man, he is a traditionalist.” He also accused Mr. Kwetey of arrogance and disrespect for the Muslim community in Ghana and warned that “Fiifi has no right to mention Islam in anything”. According to the Sheikh, the ruling “NDC is formed under Antoa nyaamah, and all these sort of Afrikania [religion]. If he [Fifi Kwetey] feels some Muslims have sold themselves to them [NDC], it’s not all of us”. He indicated that from his study of Ghana’s political terrain, “a Muslim is not supposed to join the NDC at all because Islam forbids certain things” which are inherent in the NDC adding that it will be a sin for any Muslim to associate him or herself with the NDC because of its Afrikania roots. Sheikh Awal thus warned all political parties to desist from using Muslims for their selfish gain. Hajj Ismaela Ibrahim, National Secretary of the NPP’s Nasara group, who was also on the show, said as a party, the NDC has always excluded Muslims from their activities. “Under the fourth republican constitution, we have had 5 presidential elections out of which the NDC had won 3 and NPP had won 2. [Of] the three that the NDC had won, none of them considered a Muslim to be a running mate, and under the NPP 2 presidential elections that we had, our running mate was a Muslim and a northerner so it tells you the way NPP as a party thinks about Muslims. And putting those elections aside, what NPP as a party did for Muslims in the country is enormous” Hajj Ibrahim stressed. According to him, Zongo communities in Ghana have been neglected by the NDC government in terms of development even though “it is the [Zongo] community that is the back bone of the NDC as a party, but yet still we don’t see anything positive coming from them”. Hajj Ismaela Ibrahim called on President Mills to ask Fiifi Kwetey to apologize to the Muslim community for the statement he is reported to have made or stringent action be taken against him.