Duayaw-nkwanta: Dr Gideon Boako, the Member of Parliament for Tano North in the Ahafo Region, has urged Muslim leaders and scholars to lend their support to the advocacy efforts aimed at passing the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values (LGBTQ+) Bill into law. This call was made during a durbar organized to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, where Dr Boako addressed hundreds of Muslims gathered at Duayaw-Nkwanta.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Boako voiced his concerns regarding the prolonged delay in the legislative process of the Bill, emphasizing the need for active support from stakeholders, including Muslim leaders, to bolster advocacy efforts. The proposed legislation, if enacted, aims to criminalize the identification as LGBTQ+, prohibit funding or promotion of LGBTQ+ activities, and impose prison sentences ranging from three to ten years for offenders.
Dr Boako highlighted the extensive discussions that took place under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's leadership, noting the challenges that have arisen in passing the Bill. He urged religious leaders and faith-based organizations to educate the public on what he referred to as the health implications and consequences of LGBTQ+ practices, which he claimed contradict the nation's culture and traditions.
The call for support was echoed by Alhaji Mohammed Unus, the Ahafo Regional Deputy Chief Imam, who appealed to the government to expedite the Bill's passage to safeguard the nation's identity, culture, and traditions. Similarly, Alhaji Mustapha Ibrahim, the Tano North Deputy Chief Imam, labeled same-sex marriage as an unacceptable challenge to the nation's cultural and religious values, urging President John Dramani Mahama to back the Bill's passage into law.