Religious tolerance must be jealously guarded against attempts to turn legitimate religious and cultural differences into sources of political division, an academic and Islamic scholar, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has cautioned.
He said the Christian majority and Muslim minority had, over the years, demonstrated considerable mutual accommodation, creating a model of peaceful coexistence that should not be taken for granted.
Dr Abdul-Hamid, a former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority and aspiring National Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was delivering a lecture on “One Nation, Many Faiths: Emerging Threats to Religious Tolerance in Ghana” at the 2026 Danquah Institute Liberty Lecture in Accra on Tuesday (Aug 25, 2026).
The lecture was attended by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former Vice-President and 2028 NPP flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and the founder of the Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
Also present were members of the diplomatic corps, reverend ministers and leaders of the Christian Council and various churches, Muslim clerics and Islamic leaders, traditional leaders, representatives of the National Peace Council and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), former ministers and appointees of the Akufo-Addo administration and members of the public.
Mutual respect
Dr Abdul-Hamid said Christian-Muslim relations were reflected in everyday life, education, politics and national institutions.
He cited the 2011 renovation of the then National Mosque at Abossey Okai in Accra by the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), saying the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, welcomed the gesture as an expression of “love, cooperation and goodwill” between the two faiths.
He also recalled Sheikh Sharubutu’s attendance at an Easter Sunday service at Christ the King Church in Accra in 2019, saying such gestures demonstrated the reciprocal respect that had helped preserve peace.
He said Christians had been gracious in accommodating Muslim beliefs within Ghana’s secular identity, while Muslims had largely reciprocated.
No Islamisation
The scholar rejected suggestions that Muslim participation in Ghanaian politics amounted to an agenda to Islamise the country.
He said voting patterns, including in Muslim-dominated constituencies, showed that religious identity did not automatically determine political choices.
He also cautioned against interpreting proposals for Islamic banking or the teaching of Arabic in basic as optional as evidence of an attempt to alter Ghana’s religious character.
“Arabic is a language separate and distinct from Islam,” he said, stressing that Arab Christians also speak the language.
He described Arabic as a strategic socio-economic opportunity, saying proficiency could benefit students, diplomats, interpreters and professionals through opportunities in scholarships, employment, training and investment, particularly as Arab countries expand their partnerships in energy, aviation, finance and technology.
He said political leaders should be judged by their policies and ability to serve all citizens, rather than their religious identities, adding that national programmes should benefit Ghanaians irrespective of faith.
Protect peace
Sheikh Abdul-Hamid said religious tolerance was a national asset requiring deliberate protection, particularly as social media could amplify misinformation, suspicion and inflammatory claims.
He urged political, religious and community leaders to resist narratives that could turn religious differences into political fault lines.
He called for the preservation of Ghana’s tradition of “one nation, many faiths”, warning that tolerance must be continuously nurtured by every generation.
Shared destiny
In her welcome address, the Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Dr Antoinette Tsiboe- Darko, said religion had played a profound role in Ghana’s national story by shaping values and communities.
She said the country’s greatest strengths included its ability to accommodate different faiths while remaining one people, and urged participants to examine emerging threats to tolerance and consider ways of preserving national cohesion.
A retired minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Addow Obeng, who chaired the event, cautioned against the politicisation of religion.
He said Christians, Muslims and adherents of African traditional religions shared a common national identity and should not allow political interests to undermine their unity.
He urged citizens to guard against extremist tendencies and other forces that could deepen fear, division and mistrust among religious communities
