Ghana – Shia, Ahlusunna, Ahmadis, Tijaniyya are ‘just’ an associations in Islam – Imam Tahiru

The Deputy Upper East Regional Chief Imam Alhaji Tahiru Seidu has said all Islamic sects are just an associations one ‘wishes’ to join. Alhaji Tahiru was a panelist on Islam and Life program on GTV, last Friday with host Abdul Fatah Bawa, discussing the topic on the role of the Islamic sects for national development.

“The Islamic sects are just an association one wishes to join, example, Alhalusunna, Hawabis, Shi’a, Tijaniyya etc. are all an association, they (The sects) choose to name their association best known to them and set an agenda for it’s followers, for us the Tijaniyya Muslim Movement, the association’s motive is to guide the young one’s the direct path of Islam precisely, teaches the youth to be chaste, obedience, Islamic way of life, guidance, preaches the word of Allah and how to love him and His Prophet Mohammed [Peace Be Upon Him].

None of the associations have added anything different to the Islamic religion that was given to the holy Prophet Mohammed and nothing has been deducted, he said.

He therefore called on the sects to be united as Islam teaches to emulate the Holy Prohet.

Sunni Islam is the predominant Islamic practice in the world. Almost 90% of the Muslim world are Sunni Muslims. The only countries with a majority Muslim population that are not also predominantly Sunni, are Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.

In Africa, there have been a series of violence reports on Muslim sects.

Islamic sects linked to Terrorism

There are significant and little appreciated differences in the trajectory of Sunni extremist terrorism and that of Shi’a
extremism. The differences exist across six key areas that impact American policy considerations, especially in light of steadily
escalating tensions with Iran. First and foremost, Sunni radicals and Shi’a extremists differ in the overall approach and main
objectives for their use of terror.

The former tend to operate in a continuous, mid‐to‐high intensity manner, seeing war against infidels and apostates as a perennial condition featuring overlapping waves. Outside of an ongoing and seemingly open‐ended campaign against Israel, terrorist attacks by Shi’a groups have by and large featured discrete terror campaigns tethered to state and organizational objectives.

Sunni terrorists and Shi’a extremists manifest different patterns for recruiting terrorist operatives and developing
terrorist missions. Shi’a terrorists, unlike their Sunni counterparts, enjoy direct state support and for that reason are far more
likely to originate from Iranian embassies, consulates and state‐run businesses.