The Progressive Zongo Youth has revealed that comment made by Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, on the national mosque is disrespectful to Ghanaian Muslims.
According to the youth, the claim by Sammy Gyamfi which suggested that John Mahama facilitated the construction of the mosque is a blatant lie.
Contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Abdul Rahman Ishaq, he explained that Sammy Gyamfi in his quest to perhaps, “bastardise the construction of the National Cathedral”, was quoted by a number of publications as saying that former President John Mahama facilitated the construction of the National Mosque.
The group indicated that the national communicator for the NDC further claimed that the National Mosque was financed through a grant from the Turkish government.
“These claims by Sammy Gyamfi are not only outrageous lies, his attempt to score cheap political points for former President Mahama using the National Mosque, is also disrespectful to Ghanaian Muslims, and the philanthropic NGO, which fully-funded the construction of the Mosque.”
Progressive Zongo Youth
The Progressive Zongo Youth highlighted that in recent times, they have watched on and ignored “attempts by various uninformed groups to spread misinformation and lies about the origin and funding of the National Mosque”. It however indicated that when a senior member of a leading political party “joins this lying bandwagon and deliberately spreads falsehood”, it cannot allow it to slide without setting the records straight.
Youth condemns comment by Sammy Gyamfi
Subsequently, it emphasized that the “ridiculous claim” that the mosque was funded through a grant from the Turkish government, could only have come from a “desperate propagandist”. The Youth group opined that Sammy Gyamfi is only trying to justify his opposition to the construction of the National Cathedral by making baseless claims with the National Mosque.
“We dare say Sammy Gyamfi knows very well his claims are unfounded, but he still pushed it through, knowing that public records and the facts can never support his falsehood. Sadly, he deliberately chose to push through his lies, clearly out of his disregard for Ghanaian Muslims, the donors and the sanctity of the mosque itself.”
Progressive Zongo Youth
According to the group, it does not believe Sammy Gyamfi, and those who reason like him, are oblivious of the origin and all the facts on the National Mosque. It indicated that if they are, then they should seek for clarity and “stop the lies and cheap politics” with the national mosque.
The group referred“Sammy Gyamfi and his ilk”, to the official commissioning brochure of the National Mosque published on Friday July 16 2021. It revealed that the comprehensive document has everything about the mosque from its origin to funding, clearly stated.
“… It was not a grant from the Turkish government as Sammy Gyamfi claimed, and nowhere in this comprehensive report was former President Mahama named as the one who facilitated. In fact, the National Chief Imam’s comprehensive down-memory-lane account, rightly credits the facilitator of the National Mosque, through whom the Turkish NGO decided to fund the construction of the mosque.”
Progressive Zongo Youth
The Progressive Zongo youth emphasized that facts about the national mosque, just as the mosque itself, are sacred, although it has now become a new trend, for both opponents and supporters of the construction of the National Cathedral, to distort these facts to further their own agendas.
To this end, it noted that the youth can forgive others, for the “ignorant or deliberate posture”, which continue to disrespect the efforts of many stalwarts and the financiers, but “we cannot ignore the deliberate falsehood of Sammy Gyamfi”.
“Sammy Gyamfi can go on with his anti-National Cathedral campaign; that is his business, and not our concern. But in pursuing his propaganda, he should leave the National Mosque out of it, and he should stop giving credit to people for roles they did not play.”
Progressive Zongo Youth
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