The Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu, has called on Christian and Muslim leaders to demonstrate interfaith unity publicly rather than confine messages of tolerance to their sermons, in remarks made when he and the Police Management Board (POMAB) met religious leaders at National Police Headquarters.
The engagement followed an incident in which a video showing a Muslim cleric slapping a handcuffed Christian pastor at Police Headquarters circulated publicly, prompting condemnation from the Christian Council of Ghana and calls from some clergy, including Prophet Nigel Gaisie, for the authorities to investigate.
Yohunu urged Christian and Islamic leaders to appear together at public events, share meals and engage communities jointly, saying such visible cooperation would send an important signal to young people about religious diversity.
“Let the public see Christians and Islamic leaders standing together, sharing meals, issuing joint statements and walking through our communities hand in hand,” he said.
He added that this kind of visible solidarity would help counter the perception of religion as a source of division. “Show the youth that diversity of faith is strength, not a fault line,” the IGP said.
The appeal formed the second of three commitments the IGP asked religious leaders to make at the engagement, following an earlier call for dedicated peace-themed sermons and preceding a third appeal for greater public trust in Ghana’s statutory justice system.
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