President Mahama has condemned the killing of 12 persons including some journalists of the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday.
The killing has been described as a terrorist act carried out by persons believed to have a link to an extremist Islamic organization.
French police have currently surrounded a building in a northern town where two men suspected of the massacre are said to be holding a hostage.
The attackers, who shouted Islamist slogans, are believed to have been angered by the satirical magazine’s irreverent depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
But speaking at the 83rd annual congress of the Ahmadiya Muslim Mission at Pomadze in the Central region, President John Mahama said the action is condemnable and does not resonate with the faith the attackers claim they belong to.
“Terrorist action in Paris led to the condemnable loss of 12 lives. We see brutal beheadings posted on the internet and nearer home we have the activities of Boko Haram abducting and killing young school boys and girls.
“All this is done in the name of religion, justified by theology. Are we reading the same holy books or we are interpreting them differently?” he questioned.
A Muslim scholar in Ghana, Sheik Ibrahim Ibn Saana has called for the media to stop the attacks on the Islamic faith.
He tells Joy News although the acts of the attackers must be condemned, the media must refrain from making a mockery of the religion.
“I think respect for each others’ religion and humanity should cause one to be circumspect in the exercise of their journalistic duties.”
Sheik Saana said he totally condemns the act by the terrorists because Islam does not allow violence or the disrespect for human rights.
“Islam abhors injustice; Islam abhors violence so if someone decides to perpetuate an act in the name of avenging what he calls a crime that has been committed to Islam then the person is acting on his own accord.
“Because Islam will not allow innocent civilians to be killed out of nothing and I urge all well-meaning Muslim scholars in Ghana as well as those around the world to condemn these acts that are perpetuated on these innocent people”, he continued.
He advised journalists to be circumspect in the way they go about their duties in order that they do not instigate violence.
“As much as I condemn these acts I also ask these journalists to be circumspect in the way they use their pen and ink because you can use it to promote peace but you can also use it to commit crime and in this case what has happened is unfortunate to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike but journalists have pushed the freedom of speech to a different direction.”
I think Respect for each others’ religion and humanity should cause one to be circumspect in the exercise of their journalistic duties,” he added.
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