Aspiring First National Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has rejected claims that there is an agenda to Islamise Ghana, arguing that the voting patterns of Muslims in the 2024 general election demonstrate the country’s strong tradition of religious tolerance.
Mr Hamid said that if there were indeed an organised effort to transform Ghana into an Islamic state, the 2024 presidential candidacy of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia would have provided a major opportunity for Muslims to rally behind him on religious grounds.
Speaking at the Danquah Institute’s 2026 Liberty Lecture on Tuesday, August 25, he said the failure of Muslims to overwhelmingly support Dr Bawumia, who was the first Muslim presidential candidate of a major political party, showed that religion does not primarily determine political choices in Ghana.
His comments come amid public debate over a possible Islamisation of the country, particularly following discussions about the proposed introduction of Arabic as an optional language at the basic school level and the government’s interest in interest-free banking.
Mr Hamid argued that such developments had been used to fuel concerns about an Islamisation agenda but maintained that Ghana’s political history did not support those claims.
“So, Mr Chairman, I want to ask: is there an agenda to Islamise Ghana? For me, it does not seem that, from the political choices of Muslims in Ghana, there’s an agenda to Islamise Ghana,” he said.
He argued that Dr Bawumia’s candidacy should have served as a catalyst for such an agenda if one existed.
“If such an agenda existed, Mr Chairman, the candidacy of Mahamudu Bawumia would have been the catalyst, and his candidature would have been the opportunity for Muslims to rally around such an agenda, but they didn’t,” he said.
Religious identity did not determine voting
Mr Hamid cited voting patterns in several Muslim-dominated constituencies as evidence that religious identity does not necessarily translate into political support.
He pointed to Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Asawase, Ejura, Tamale North, Tamale Central, Tamale South and Sagnarigu, where voters backed President John Dramani Mahama, a Christian, over Dr Bawumia in the 2024 presidential election.
“Muslim-dominated constituencies like Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Asawase, Ejura, Tamale North, Tamale Central, Tamale South, Sagnarigu, all voted massively for the Christian John Dramani Mahama against the Muslim Mahamudu Bawumia,” he said.
According to Mr Hamid, the voting pattern demonstrates that religious differences generally do not determine political decisions in Ghana.
“So that means that, consciously, in the Ghanaian psyche, our religious differences do not spill over into our political consideration,” he said.
He further highlighted Ghana’s longstanding tradition of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among Christians, Muslims and other faith groups.
Mr Hamid cautioned against narratives that could deepen religious divisions, stressing the importance of preserving Ghana’s tradition of peaceful coexistence and religious harmony.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
