Presidential Envoy on Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, has warned that political parties will have nothing to inherit if religious tensions are allowed to tear Ghana apart.

“If the country goes up in flames, there will be no NDC or NPP,” he said during a meeting between the Inspector General of Police and Christian and Muslim leaders in Accra to foster peace.

Afriyie-Ankrah stressed that recent inflammatory comments by individuals should not be misconstrued as the position of entire religious communities.

“The utterance of one imam or one Muslim person is not a representation of the views of the entire Muslim community. Likewise, the utterance of one pastor, prophet, or apostle is not a representation of the views of the entire Christian community,” he stated. “So this matter is not a Christian-Muslim matter. We should not make it a Christian-Muslim matter.”

He commended the IGP and the Ghana Police Service for their “swift, professional action” over the past few days, noting that many religious leaders had lost sleep over the tensions.

“Those of us in the religious space have been very consistent, and we boast about the interfaith harmony we have in this country,” he said. He disclosed that his committee plans to host an interfaith forum this year and invite leaders from the Sahel region “so that we show them how it’s done in Ghana.”

“When these issues started cropping up, it was very disturbing and disconcerting. But I believe that with these interventions, these issues will be a thing of the past,” he added.

Afriyie-Ankrah reminded Ghanaians of their shared history of coexistence. “We’ve lived together, as the IGP said, as brothers and sisters. We share rice and meat during Eid. They share our food during Christmas. This is something we’ve all been very proud of.”

He warned, however, that peace cannot be taken for granted. “We have to be more deliberate and intentional to put in place systems and structures. When these things begin to rear their ugly heads, they’ll be dealt with firmly, lawfully, based on evidence, and in a non-discriminatory manner.”

Referring to two individuals at the center of the recent incident, he confirmed they are on bail. “I know both of them. One apologized to me in the car. He said he has been preaching religious tolerance among the youth and didn’t know what came over him. Imagine the implications if this wasn’t managed well.”

He likened the situation to disciplining a child: “Sometimes when children misbehave, you either discipline them at home or authorize the teacher to do it. It is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength because you are protecting your future.”

Afriyie-Ankrah commended the Muslim Council for issuing a “clear, unambiguous, and direct” condemnation. “That is the way to go. If a Muslim cleric or any individual goes off track, he has to be condemned by leadership and dealt with by the law. If a Christian cleric goes off the mark, he must be condemned publicly, with no ambiguity.”

He cautioned against politicizing the matter: “Nobody should try to take political advantage of this. What do we gain from this?”

He concluded by reminding the audience of their common origins: “We are from one source — first of all from Adam. And all the religions — Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — are from Abraham, Father Abraham.”

Report by Bernard K Dadzie Greater Accra Region