The opposition National Democratic Congress has stated that their manifesto promise on establishing mortuary for Muslim communities was proposed by the leadership of the various Islamic sects in Ghana.
The policy which has been rebranded “1 Zongo, 1 Mortuary” by many on social media, has attracted intense public discussions since former President John Dramani Mahama, the Flagbearer of the opposition party highlighted it in an interview with Woezor Tv over the weekend.
Many have decried the promise as misplaced. The Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Haroun Mumuni, and other Islamic clerics have roundly condemned the policy proposal. He told Akoma Fm in Kumasi that the leadership of the Muslim community in his region was not consulted on the matter.
On Wednesday, 23rd September, 2020, Alhaji Naziru Mohammed, NDC Spokesperson for Zongo and Muslim Affairs, disclosed on Morning Starr on Starr 103.5 fm that the leadership of the major Islamic sects proposed the policy.
According to Alhaji Mohammed, “I spoke to the Imam of Alhussuna wal-jama’a, Sheikh Umar, I spoke to the Imam of the Shia, Sheikh Kamaldeen and I spoke to the entire leadership of Ahamdiyya Muslim mission. I was part of the meeting. And I spoke to the Muslim Chiefs, the things they wanted included the mortuary.”
Faisal Ibrahim Cisse, a member of NPP Communications Team, who was also a panelist on the program indicated that mortuary services are alien to Muslims in Ghana. He referenced texts by Islamic jurists, Buhari and Muslim, as quoting Abu Huraira say that Prophet Muhammed directed Muslims to hasten to bury their dead one. Rather, he stated what confronted the Muslim population is the early release of corpse for burial and not a mortuary.
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