A Moslem leader has blamed the increasing spate of violence in the north to activities by politicians across the country. Sheik Hussein Rashid who is leader of the Salamasha Moslem Mission told Joy News in an interview that politicians exploit the illiteracy and poverty of the Moslem youth in the north to perpetuate their selfish and parochial deeds. The northern regions have been a harbinger for violence with its underpinnings mostly traced to chieftaincy and political agitations. A regional conference by the New Patriotic Party in Tamale on Sunday turned violent when a group of well-built men beseeched the conference premises apparently to cause mayhem. And that is just a tip of the iceberg. The Mamprusis and Kusasis have been in a ceaseless blood-shed in the Upper East regional town of Bawku which has claimed dozens of lives. In Yendi, the Abudus and Andanis still have their seven year conflict unresolved with fears it might degenerate. Sheik Rashid attributed these needless conflicts to politicians who he accused of bribing some illiterate youth in the region to cause mayhem According to him, GH¢20.00 is enough for an illiterate youth in the region to kill or maim other people and called on all politicians to desist from such acts. Education, Hussein Rashid noted, is the panacea to the exploitation of the youth in the area and called on Muslim leaders to educate the youth in the regions. “The Muslim society is lacking education and it is about time they educate themselves,” he said An activist of the NPP and lecturer of Islamic Affairs in the University of Cape Coast, Mustapha Hamid said the politician cannot be wholly blamed for the skirmishes in the north. He explained the ideological underpinnings of Islam which makes it difficult or impossible for religion to be divorced from political activities could also be blamed for the radical nature of the Muslim youth. He admits though, that politicians may sometimes be held liable for the inflammations in the area. Play the attached audio for excerpts of the interviews with the Moslem leader and Mustapha Hamid. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana