Chief Imam welcomes former Guantanamo Bay detainees
The National Chief Iman (NCI), Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has welcomed the two Guantanamo Bay detainees who have been accepted to live in the country.
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“Any ‘criminal’ who has reformed and wants to reintegrate with any society must be accepted on humanitarian grounds, according to Islam, and that we consider as a duty,”
Sheikh Sharubutu said through his spokesman, Sheik Aremiyaw Shuaib.
Sheikh Sharubutu was reacting to concerns expressed by some individuals and groups over the government’s acceptance of the two detainees who were linked to terrorist activities.
For instance, a security expert, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, and a Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Education, Winneba, Mr Awaisu
Braimah, had expressed fears that Ghana’s decision to accept the detainees could pose a threat to the country’s security.
Apart from these individuals, three major Christian groups — the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana
Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) — have asked the government to demonstrate that it is a listening government by sending the two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners back to where they came from.
In separate statements, the three groups said the fears and lamentations being expressed by Ghanaians over the presence of the two in Ghana were legitimate, as the two posed a real threat to the country.
Accepted on humanitarian grounds
But the Chief Imam said the detainees needed to be accepted on humanitarian grounds because Islam triumphed on that.
He said apart from humanitarian grounds, the detainees should be warmly received in the country because of Ghanaian hospitality and respect for human dignity.
“We trust our government and believe that long-term security implications were considered before accepting them,” he said.
On the explanations provided by the government on its decision to accommodate the detainees, the Chief Imam said, “We are satisfied with the explanations, we appreciate the government’s compassion, we appreciate that the government is a responsible government who will not compromise our national security.”
Ghana might have gained
President John Dramani Mahama, in his media engagement last Tuesday, debunked the allegation that Ghana might have gained economically for accepting the detainees, saying: “It’s absolutely, absolutely untrue.”
“As the Commander-in-Chief, the safety and security of this country is of concern to me more than probably anybody and I will not take any decision that will jeopardise the security of this country,” he said.
The ex-detainees, he said, were never tried or convicted as terrorists, being only 20 years old when they were picked up.
“We decided that we would do an assessment. America itself did an assessment and gave us their risk category. It was the lowest risk category," he said.
The two, Ahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, he stated, were considered the most compliant detainees at Guantanamo.