Muslims assured of incident-free Hajj

Thursday, September 3, 2009 (Page 45)

MUSLIMS in the country have been given the assurance that their endeavour to undertake this year’s holy pilgrimage to Mecca will be incident-free.
The Vice President, Mr John Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf at Lawra, said the government had taken concrete steps to ensure that this year’s pilgrimage would become incident-free and that the perennial challenges which characterised the Hajj was a thing of the past.
The speech was delivered on behalf of the Vice President by the District Chief Executive of Lawra, Mr Abu Sampson, who also donated some food items to Muslim leaders on behalf of the Vice President.
In their holy month of Ramadan, Muslims across the world have begun their annual fasting in preparation for the Eid-Fitr and the Hajj. The Vice President’s presentation was to support Muslims in those communities during the period.
Mr Sampson was assisted by Cosmos Anpengnuo, an Accra-based legal practitioner, who is also a native of the area, to make the donation on behalf of the Vice-President.
According to the Vice-President, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was determined to fulfil its obligations and promises to the people of Ghana.
In achieving the government’s goal of a better Ghana, “the government would among, other things, continue to support the Muslim community in your quest to strengthen your faith during this period of Ramadan”.
He said the month of Ramadan offered Muslims the opportunity to re-examine their lives and renew their faith in Allah, who is gracious, merciful and ready to pardon.
“Let us allow the kindness of Allah to reflect in our individual daily lives and the total result for the whole nation would be the blessings of Allah the Almighty,” the Vice-President pointed out.
He expressed the belief that Muslims would come out of this period of fasting rejuvenated in the spirit of Allah and willing to help build a better Ghana.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Muslim community, Alhaji Abdulai Muctar, thanked the Vice- President and the government for the donation and said the Muslim community would continue to pray for and support the government.
Other Muslim leaders present were Nabali Salifu, head of the Ahmadis in the community and the chief of the Dagomba community there, Alhassan Abdulai.