He said given the critical roles Imams played in the Islamic religion and society in general, it was imperative for government and the Muslim community to support them to do their work effectively.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, at Kamgbunli, days after the sudden death of the Deputy District Chief Imam at Asasetre, Mr Saaed observed that the Imams worked without any form of support for their health and general upkeep.
He stated that the Kamgbunli Muslim community in the Diaspora had decided to institute a fund to pay the District Chief Imam at Kamgbunli GHC3,000 as monthly salary as their contribution towards supporting Imams.
He appealed to other districts across the country to take a cue from Kamgbunli and take similar steps to pay Imams “given the sacrificial nature of their job.”
Mr Saaed said: “It is imperative that Muslims put resources together as funds to take care of Imams since they do sacrificial work and contribute to the socio-economic development of the nation.”
Sheikh Suleiman Ahmed Mozu, the Western Regional Chief Imam, endorsed the call for Muslims to fund activities of Imams.
He said though the Holy Prophet made the work of Imams sacrificial, social change made it imperative to pay them living wages.
He, thus, congratulated the Kamgbunli Muslim community in the diaspora for mooting the idea to contribute to a fund as regular monthly income of their Imam.
GNA
