Public Face of Islam in Kumasi

By Gracia Clark

Zacharia and Yakubu Discussion


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Courtesy of Gracia Clark

Related Essay
Creator: Rahman, Zacharia Abdul
Clark, Gracia
Contributing Institutions: Gracia Clark; MATRIX: Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences at Michigan State University
Biography: Zacharia Abdul Rahman is Mallam at Bantama Central Mosque in Kumasi. He leads the mosque every Friday before the Imam takes over. Zacharia Abdul Rahman takes great care in explaining the tenets of Islam, particularly distinguishing between terrorism and the teachings of Islam. He emphasizes that Islam means "peace," and that one of the central tenets is to love your fellow neighbor regardless of his/her background or beliefs. He warns against those with Islamic names who are not Muslim and tarnish Islam. He also draws parallels between the Koran and the Bible, emphasizing that Muslims accept all the prophets.
Description: "As a Muslim, your hands do not bother anyone, your mouth should not hurt anyone, your legs should not bother anyone, don't cheat, don't beat anyone, don't kill anyone, you see, this is what we call Muslim."
Date: September 6, 2009
Date Range:
Location: Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Format: Video/mp4
Language: Twi
Rights Management: For educational use only.
Subjects:
Men