–Grand Mufti Sumaworo Wants Muslims Emulate Abraham’s Traits
Presenting his sermon in observance of this year’s Abraham Day at the Heritage Mosque on Gurley Street in Monrovia amidst a heavy downpour of rain, Sheikh Abubakar Sumaworo, Grand of the Supreme Council of Fatwa in Liberia, says Abraham was a humble servant of Allah who obeyed His words to implement the sacrifice without hesitation—when instructed by the Most High to do so.
Predicated upon Abraham’s obedience to the instruction of God, there Sheihk Sumaworo underscored the need for parents, especially those of the Islamic religion, to begin inculcating good moral traits into their children by teaching them the importance of being humble and obedient propagators of Islam in the country.
The renowned Muslim scholar observed that most youths in the Islamic faith are said to be reneging on emulating Abraham’s obedience to Allah, and that is why he entreats parents to ensure that good moral upbringing of their children should begin at the home with them as parents, so that they are not to be influenced by bad peer groups at the level of the community to dampen their future.
Sheikh Sumaworo noted that Abraham was not only an obedient servant of God; he devoted himself, particularly, to Almighty Allah, as well as his son, who also devoted his life not only to the Most High but to his parents by being obedient.
On the flipside, Sheikh Sumaworo also intoned that Muslims should not consider themselves to be what he termed “second class” citizens in Liberia, but rather must stand firm in implementing and propagating the true teaching of their religion to all worshippers of the Islamic faith as they remain law-abiding in society.
He, at the same time, admonished fellow Muslims here to participate in all national issues—if they are to ascend to public office in government, as the likes of other prominent Liberian Muslims who do not consider themselves as “second class” citizens and are nowadays making impact in the body politics and development process of the nation state at their various places of work.
To meet this demand, Sheikh Sumaworo wants Muslim parents to invest all their efforts in educating not only the boy child but equally so the girl child because, as he put it, “They are our future and need our utmost support to emulate the submissiveness of Abraham, thus getting on par with non-Muslim students in the walls of academia in the country.”
He said failure on the part of Muslim parents to impart moral values into “our children to emulate Abraham and withstand the challenges out there, and their future would be bleak”. He reiterated that the training or upbringing of every child in Liberia first begins from the home.
On the proliferation of narcotic drugs and substances that are negatively impacting the lives of the youthful population of Liberia, Sheikh Sumaworo called on government through the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) to further tighten its grips against this menace by ridding the country of it, and securing a brighter future for young people in the nation.
However, the Grand Mufti of the Supreme Council of Fatwa, Sheikh Abubakar Sumaworo, used the occasion to appeal to the Government of Liberia (GoL) to recommence its subsidy support through the Ministry of Education to Islamic schools in Liberia to attract more school-aged Muslim students to the classroom, owing to the growing number of Islamic learning institutions in the nation.
The Islamic scholar recalled that during the eras of the Late Presidents William V.S Tubman and William R. Tolbert, Jr., Islamic schools used to receive government subsidy from the Ministry of Education, in the amount of US$10,000 for all Muslim schools then, but said that is not the case today due to the establishment of the scores of Islamic schools now operating in Liberia.
He also expressed gratefulness to Almighty Allah for the successful gathering of Muslims from across the country at various mosques in the observance of Abraham Day, and wished Liberians who are in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj all the best and safe arrival back home.
Sheikh Sumaworo, also in his Abraham Day message, prayed that Allah bestows His blessings and protection upon Liberia and give all well-meaning Liberians, be they politician or religious leader, the strength to develop the nation and to secure a better future for the citizenry, especially young people, many of whom have fallen prey to drug addiction in some parts of the country.