Ummah Constitution endorsed by National Conference of Muslim Representatives, marking a turning point for Muslim leadership

A high-level summit of Muslim leaders under the auspices of the National Chief Imam has ended in Accra with a renewed call for unity within the Muslim Ummah, the adoption of a new Ummah Constitution, and fresh commitments to confront social challenges, particularly drug abuse among the youth.

The summit, organised by the Muslim Ummah Supreme Council of Ghana, brought together Islamic clerics and imams from across the various sects, including Ahlusuna wal Jamaa, Shia, Tijaniyya and other Muslim groups, under the theme “Towards a Unified Muslim Leadership: Strategies for Ummah Development.”

Speaking to the media at the end of the meeting, the Zango Chief of the Northern Region, Sheik Dalhu Abdul Mumin, described the gathering as a major milestone in efforts to build a united and orderly Muslim community in Ghana.

On the adoption of the Ummah Constitution, Sheik Dalhu Abdul Mumin said the endorsement by the National Conference of Muslim Representatives marked a turning point for Muslim leadership and organisation in the country.

“This summit is all about creating a change in our attitude towards Islam ourselves and the Ummah at large. Allah tells us clearly in the Holy Qur’an that we must hold firmly together and not be divided, and when you look at the condition of Muslims today, the signal is not the best because we are highly divided. With the blessings of His Eminence the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the Ummah has now endorsed this Constitution, and I believe it is high time we move into it and look at the best way of implementing it so that we can be united, orderly and focused on one purpose,” he said.

He explained that a detailed report of the summit would be submitted to the National Chief Imam to guide the next steps towards full implementation of the constitution, adding that the wide representation of national and sect leaders at the summit would make it easier to carry the decisions down to the grassroots.

Shaik Dalhu Abdul Mumin also used the opportunity to highlight the growing concern over drug abuse, particularly among Muslim youth in the northern parts of the country, and outlined steps being taken by traditional and religious authorities to address the problem.

“It is very unfortunate that a greater portion of the usage of these hard drugs is relating to the Muslim youth. In Tamale and across the north, we have started serious campaigns against this menace. We have task forces working on it, we have used major events like the Damba Festival to spread the message with ‘No to drugs, yes to life’, and we continue to preach in the mosques to explain to the youth that what they are doing is destroying their future and the future of society. If we allow this to continue, it is not just individuals who will die, but whole communities will be destroyed, and that is why chiefs, clerics and security agencies must work together to stop it,” he said.

According to him, collaboration with the police, including special interventions from the Inspector General of Police, has begun to show positive results, with drug-related activities gradually declining in some areas.

Also speaking at the summit, legal practitioner Abdul Majeed Musah, a member of the committee that drafted the Ummah Constitution, shed light on provisions governing the succession of the National Chief Imam.

He explained that succession under the new constitution would not be based on open elections but on a structured consultative process that reflects representation and acceptance at the community, district, regional and national levels.

“Succeeding the National Chief Imam is not going to be an election. There is a council through which nominations will come, starting from the community level, moving to the district, region and finally the national level. Representation is key, because if you do not have the majority of mosques or followers at a particular level, you cannot ascend to the next. This system allows Islam