President John Dramani Mahama has said that it is completely erroneous to link acts of violence by extremists to the Islamic religion.
Speaking at a Muslim gathering on the occasion of this year’s Eid-al-Fitr held at the Black Stars Square in Accra Wednesday, the President noted that “some people who are religious extremists misinterpret the religious doctrines and use it to create harm for ideological reasons.”
Mahama said “terrorism has entered our sub-region [West Africa] and these people who propagate these ideologies come under the guise of religion and erroneously try to equate terrorism and Islam. It is not true. There is no link between terrorism and Islam and there’s no way they can equate this religion and terrorism.”
He went on: “This is particularly so because in the holy month of Ramadan, we know that this is the month of peace and forgiveness. How would it be that a terrorist group urges its hardened during the month of Ramadan to go out bomb and kill people? It’s not Islamic.”
“Apart from that, recently there was an incident in Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber let off a bomb outside the holy mosque of prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.). This is one of the most sacred sites of Islam. How somebody can let off a suicide bomb outside the holy mosque of prophet Mohammed, definitely that cannot be Islam.”
The President also cited the Baghdad bombing, another incident in the past week which has been linked to terrorist group, the Islamic State (IS).
‘The Holy Quran says even in war do not kill women and children. So how can you kill more than 70 women, 40 children in the name of Jihad (Holy war)?,” Mahama quipped.
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