PHOTO: Sheik Abubakar Sumaworo, Grand Motif of Liberia
The Grand Motif of Liberia has appealed to President Joseph Boakai to give 30 percent of cabinet positions and other posts in government to qualified Muslims serve in the country.
Sheik Abubakar Sumaworo said the population of Liberia constitutes about 30 percent of the nations’ people and as such there are equally qualified and well-educated people in the Muslim community to serve in some of these positions.
Sheik Sumaworo made the appeal when he delivered the sermon marking the end of the holy month-long of Ramadan held at the Gurley Street Mosque in Monrovia on Wednesday.
“Since the establishment of the country”, he went on, “Muslims in Liberia have been demanding their socio-economic and political rights as they have been discriminated at levels of the society.”
“My brothers and sisters in Islam, you will to struggle for your rights but please avoid violence in seeking for these rights by speaking out against the ills in the country,”
The Grand Motif of Liberia cautioned Muslims to remain united and never to allow politicians to divide them so as to weaken the strong socio-economic and political base of the Muslim community in Liberia.
“Your diversity in tribes and politics should not be allowed to divide you because these are some of the spring-board that will be used to divide you,” he said; adding: “continue to pray so that leaders to put you Muslims in places of services to the Liberian people.”
The Grand Motif of Liberia advised Muslims should always remain vocal on issues that are affecting them but never to use violence as means of seeking redress to national problems.
On the drug issue, Sheik Sumaworo said must be done to safe the future of Liberian youths because things cannot be as usual and welcomed the setting up of a special task force to address the problem of drug abuse by youths
Sheik Sumaworo is also encouraging the Muslim community to attach seriousness to the education of girls and women in order to bridge the gap between boys and girls in education sector.
According to him, Muslims should take programs at protecting the girls and women so that traditional practices will not be used to deprive them from advancing socially, economically and politically in the country.
He congratulated the estimated 1.8 million in Liberia for the sacrifices for the state, its leaders and the down trodden people who struggle to socio-economic and political situation.
The holy month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars in the Muslim calendar a worshipper must perform during the circle of his or her life time.