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The “Islamic Jihadists” and the “Akyem Mafia Sakawa” paradox

A recent social media publication by Bolga Central Member of Parliament, Isaac Adongo, referencing Pres. Akufo-Addo and his home townsfolk as ‘Akyem Mafia’ and ‘Sakawa’ people, which was amplified by former President John Dramani Mahama, who shared it on his Facebook timeline a few days ago has created a lot of controversies after the usual political divides took sides on the matter.

The Bolgatanga Central MP, in a statement relating to the controversial Agyapa Roylaties deal, accused the President and his kith of forming a families-and-friends cartel to capture the mineral resources of the state via the deal.

There may be a few who have genuinely taken a stance on the Akyem Mafia Sakawa tag without any political biases.

However, I see some Muslims who have long suffered from stereotypic terms like ‘islamic terrorists’, ‘jihadists’, ‘Islamists’, etc, in the name of politics, defending the highly condemnable ‘Akyem mafia kum sakawa’ tag used by no less a person than former President Mahama and Mr Adongo, an Hon. MP.

We Muslims have always insisted that, people who perpetrate hate crimes should be called by their names and held individually responsible for their evil deeds instead of stereotyping Muslims and our religion with such an anti-Islamic propaganda tag.

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When the media use those terms against Muslims but refuse to use similar terms for other groups who perpetrate similar actions, i.e., terrorism, clearly, their motive, rightly surmised by all Muslims, is to whip up anti-Islamic sentiments and hate against Muslims and Islam. And no Muslim is pleasant with those highly skewed and stereotypical tags including those defending Mahama.

What am I saying? What I am saying is that, anytime someone twins a broad group’s name to the action of one/few member/s of the group, the effect, whether covert or overt, intentional or unintentional, is that, the entire group become collateral beneficiaries/recipients of the negative action of the member/s.

If you are a Muslim and hates the tag ‘Islamic terrorist’, you must equally hate ‘Akyem mafia’, otherwise, you’re a hypocrite without principles.

By: Alhajj Suleman

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