UMCF organises forum on Intestate Succession Bill

The United Muslim-Christian Forum (UMCF), a voluntary organization over the weekend, held a stakeholders forum for the people of Nima and Maamobi to discuss the Intestate Succession Bill.

The forum, the second in a series, was aimed at collating the views of Muslims in relation to the Islamic view of intestate succession, in order to submit a memorandum to the Parliament of Ghana for it to be added to the bill.

It brought together all Muslim faiths and organization, including the Ahlul Sunnah Waljama, the Tijania Movement, the Shia Community, the Ghana Muslim Mission, STAR-Ghana, Ghana Muslims Students Association and the Media.

Alhaji Ahmed Nii Nortey, Executive Director of the UMCF said there was the need for Muslims to make an input into the intestate succession bill, which if not done, will affect the entire Muslims community in the country.

He said the bill, which would be passed to become a law will be regarded by every citizen, irrespective of one’s ethnic or religious backgrounds.

Alhaji Nortey, who is also the Public Relations Officer at the Office of the National Chief Imam, said the UMCF has embarked on a series of programmes to educate Muslims on the need to contribute their quota to national development.

Alhaji Nortey also adviseed Muslim professionals to come out with proposals and suggestions that will help spell out the Islamic intestate succession in the bill for Parliament to pass it into law, in order not to violate the Quran, which is referred to as the Constitution of Islam.

He said the deadline for the submission of the memorandum by Parliament is slated for February 14 2014.

He said one of such programmes is the education on the expansion of the scope of the registration of Islamic Marriages in Ghana.

Mr Mahama Shahad, a Legal Practitioner and Representative of the Muslim Lawyers Forum, said it is important for Muslim organisations and individuals to submit memoranda to Parliament to spell out the Islamic views, in relation to the bill.

He said these will give some insights to members of Parliament, who are Muslims to have some level of understanding about the Islamic stands on intestate succession.