Maintain The Beauty Of The Kumasi Central Mosque; Otumfuo Advises Muslim Leadership
Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has advised the Muslim Leadership in Ghana to do their best to maintain the beauty of the renovated Kumasi Central Mosque.
His Majesty made this statement during the commissioning of the renovated Kumasi Central Mosque at Akwatialine in Kumasi on Friday, March 3, 2023.
The Kumasi Central Mosque has now been expanded from 3,000 to 7,000 seating capacity with 30 underground washrooms, 100 ablution washrooms, a 500-seat conference hall, 11 offices, and two-bedroom apartments- making the mosque meet world-class standard.
The magnificent, multi-purpose Kumasi Central Mosque was fully funded by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President of Ghana, as a fulfillment of his promise to the Muslim community.
His Majesty, who was the Special Guest of Honor at the event indicated that the Kumasi Central Mosque, at the heart of Kumasi, is a source of pride to the city and an enduring symbol of internal commitment to the harmonious coexistence of the faiths on the Asante land.
According to His Majesty, Asanteman’s engagement with the Muslim faith predates the country’s colonial experience and eventual integration into a nation.
“The strong bonds between Asante and the Northern Kingdoms of Dagon and the Mossi were not without their religious edge, and even though the integration into Ghana opened the floodgates to the Christian faith to make its impact on the nation, it has never been at the cost of respect for the Muslim,” he stressed.
The occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, disclosed that the history of the Mosque underscores the empathy characterises the Golden Stool.
The first mosque in Kumasi was built in 1905 on the land in front of the palace of the then-Zarrikan Zango, overlooking the Zongo Police Station.
“It is said that on Friday, in 1954, my uncle Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh was driven past Asawase and saw the multitude of Muslims laying their prayer mats on the dusty roads around the mosque for their Friday prayers. “Back at Manhyia, he summoned the Zerikan Zango Ahmad’s Baba and offered him a vast plot of land at Asawase for the building of a fitting mosque to accommodate the growing Muslim population,” His Majesty disclosed.
According to the King of the Asante Kingdom, the existence of the Kumasi Central Mosque has played a pivotal role in the maintenance of peace and social cohesion in Ghanaian society.
He added that, apart from the spiritual leadership it provides to the faithful, it has been consistent in partnering with governments of all hues to uplift the condition of life among the Zongo communities to eliminate any notions of social alienation and deprevation.
Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, ll, commended the Muslim leadership working through the mosques in ensuring the peace and stability in the Kingdom and Ghana.
In addition, His Majesty expressed his profound gratitude to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for his drastic effort to renovate the Mosque.
He said the Mosque will stand as a tribute to Dr. Bawumia’s commitment and dedication to the Muslim community.
“As the mosque is formally handed over to the community, we remind all stakeholders—all who will have the privilege of using this divine facility—to never forget or take its spiritual essence for granted,” he stressed.
Otumfuo advised the Muslim leadership to maintain eternal vigilance about the project, both through prayer and the effort of humankind, to protect the peace of the country.
“We hope therefore that every heart that enters the mosque will be purified with blessings of peace, every prayer will be a massage of peace, and every tongue that speaks shall deliver peace and prosperity for Asante and for Ghana,” he declared.
The National Chief Iman, Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, and many Muslim community leaders were present.
Source: opemsuo.com/Kwame Adu Gyamfi Kumanin
