Adventists and Muslims Resolve Land Dispute in Ghana
A Seventh-day Adventist congregation in Ghana has had an on-going land dispute with neighboring Muslims, reports Adventist Today (link). The conflict became violent in mid-February when 12 Muslim youth apparently incited a group of more than 1,000 Muslims to destroy the Adventist property. Excerpt from Adventist Today:
The initial investigation revealed that twelve Muslim youth “spearheaded the misunderstanding between the two religious groups,” reported GNA. The Daily Guide described the destruction of property on February 13, reporting that a crowd of more than 1,000 Muslim young people “stormed the SDA church premises near the Atebubu Government Hospital on Friday afternoon after the mid-day prayers with guns and offensive weapons.” The crowd then “set the newly built mission house ablaze and further brought down the walls around the church and demolished the temple.”
The destroyed mission house “accommodated close to 20 teacher trainees who are doing their teaching practice in the school. They lost valuable items such as laptops, cellular phones, books and certificates, among others,” reported Ghana Nation. (link)
After a regional security council mediation, both sides have signed a peace pact. Adventist leaders forgave the youth and gave the disputed land to the Muslims. In return, the Muslim leaders said they will build a new mission house for the Adventists elsewhere.
SOURCES
- Muslims and Christians at Atebubu smoke peace-pipe (Ghana News Agency, 23 Feb 2015)
- Security Council orders arrest of 12 suspects at Atebubu (Ghana News Agency, 23 Feb 2015)
- Muslim Youth Burn Church At Atebubu (Daily Guide, 14 Feb 2015)
- SDA abandons church after Muslim youth attack (Ghana Nation, 16 Feb 2015)
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