Ntonso (Ash), May 26, GNA – A historic joint service to deepen the relationship between the Ntonso Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church and the Islamic Community, has been held at Ntonso in the Kwabre-East District of the Ashanti Region.
The programme, on the theme, “Adventism and Islam; Religious Siblings for a Common Social and Environmental Agenda,” was to promote religious harmony and tolerance.
Mr Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, Elder of the Church, said it behoves religious bodies to value unity and peace at all times.
This is because the varied faiths espoused good neighbourliness, brotherliness and addressing the needs of mankind.
Mr Onwona-Hwesofour Asante indicated that upholding the virtues of religion such as honesty, truthfulness and piety had the potential to transform the lives of the people for the better.
The leadership, he noted, had the responsibility to use their platforms to advance the cause of humanity in contemporary times, especially in the area of environmental sustainability, peace-building and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Touching on environmental sustainability, the SDA Elder enjoined the Church to work in partnership with their Muslim counterparts to stop practices such as illegal mining, deforestation and forest degradation, because they pose serious health problems to both humans and wildlife.
The SDA Elder drew attention to the fact that the tenets in the Holy Bible and Quran enjoined the followers to be each other’s keeper while sharing common socio-economic and environmental development goals.
Sheikh Abububakar Ishaq-Yusif, Chief Imam of the Alsuna Mosque at Ntonso, said the Islamic Community was determined to sustain the initiative dubbed ‘Adventist – Muslim Relations’ Day.
He said the two bodies had a duty to entreat their followers to be patriotic and peace-loving as enshrined in their sacred books.
They should also work assiduously to salvage the society from evil deeds, which had brought untold hardships to humanity, the Islamic scholar preached.