The Association of Liberal Muslims-Ghana has called on Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to retract and apologize for what they describe as “misguided claims” against Muslim clerics.
The group’s demand follows Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s controversial comments during a campaign event in Kumasi-Bantama, where he accused Imams and church leaders of influencing teachers to introduce LGBTQ+ content through the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curriculum.
In a statement released on October 11, 2024, the Association condemned Dr. Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, for making baseless accusations that they argue tarnished the image of Islam and created unnecessary division within Ghanaian society.
According to the Founding President of the Association, Alhaji Umar Harris, NAPO’s claims are not only false but also disrespectful to the Muslim community and its leaders.
“This baseless accusation against our noble Imams is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of Muslims and a mockery of our noble religion,.”
“We dare NAPO to categorically mention the names of those Imams he claimed were contracted to influence the teaching of LGBTQ+ in our teaching and learning centres.”
The statement further criticized NAPO for misleading the public by politicizing CSE and associating it with LGBTQ+ content.
Alhaji Harris pointed out that a textbook containing such content had surfaced under NAPO’s leadership as Minister of Education, raising questions about his commitment to protecting Ghana’s cultural values.
“NAPO’s actions suggest a deliberate attempt to conflate CSE with LGBTQ+ ideologies, fueling unnecessary controversy and divisiveness,” Harris said. “This incident raises serious concerns about NAPO’s intentions and commitment to Ghana’s cultural and social values.”
The Association of Liberal Muslims urged Dr. Opoku Prempeh to retract his statements and apologize to Ghana’s Muslim community.
In addition, they called on the NPP’s Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is a Muslim, to caution his running mate against making inflammatory remarks that could incite division.
“We call on Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh to, as a matter of urgency, retract the blasphemous statements and render an unqualified apology to our Imams and the Muslim community in Ghana at large. We again call on the office of Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia to caution his running mate against disrespecting Muslims, especially considering that Dr. Bawumia is a Muslim himself,” the statement said.
The Association urged political leaders to promote inclusivity and focus on the real issues affecting Ghanaians, rather than fabricating controversies for political gain.
They stressed the importance of providing young people with accurate and comprehensive information to empower them and combat misinformation.
“The Ghanaian public deserves truth and transparency, not divisive politics and misinformation. It’s time to focus on the real issues affecting our nation rather than fabricating controversies for political gain
