In spite of constitutional guarantee of safety and security of the citizenry, LGBTQ individuals are victims of homophobic violence in Ghana. Among those who incite physical and psychological attacks on them are religious leaders expected to be epitomes of mercy for all. (Appiah & Gates, 2017). The situation is worse in Nima, a predominant Muslim community in Accra. In a qualitatively interpretive approach, this presentation uses the purposive sampling technique to find answers to the following questions: 1. Why do leaders of morality encourage violence against innocent people? 2. Could the religious leaders consider dialogue? 3. How can they reconcile the peace they preach and the violence they encourage? 4. Is the LGBTQ community ready for dialogue? In all, ten Imams, ten human rights activists, and ten LGBTQ individuals were interviewed. Literature reviewed includes relevant verses of Quran and secular materials on human rights. Analyses and findings center on four main dimensions: Islamic moral obligation of mercy for all, constitutional guarantee for human dignity and liberty, African culture on fellow feeling, and United Nations declaration of human rights. Results reveal ignorance and emotions as the major factors of the religious inclined violence against LGBTQ community. The conclusion is that the violence against LGBTQ individuals defeats the purposes of all the four dimensions constituting the center of analysis and findings. Besides, the religious leaders do not appreciate the limitation of faith in a secular society. Among other recommendations, this presentation calls on religious leaders to consider dialogue and reasoning instead of animosity and emotions in their dealings with members of the LGBTQ community.
Dr. Mohammed Marzuq Abubakari is the Director of Research and Advocacy at the Islamic Peace and Security Council of Ghana. He is also a lecturer at the University of Applied Management, Ghana. His research interests include religion and human Rights. As an Islamic scholar, he leads the Operation Dialogue with All, under IPASEC.