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The National Ramadan Conference has called on all Muslims to attach a great deal of importance to the upcoming National Housing and Population Census and avail themselves of it.

The conference said the exercise was meant to assist the central and local governments to plan how to provide educational, health, housing and other social services to the people.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 27th National Ramadan Conference in Sunyani in the Bono Region last Friday.

2021 Ramadan fasting

The conference said participating in the census would enable the government to know the real statistics, thus it was important that everyone was counted to help in subsequent planning.

Also at the conference, a sub-committee on Ramadan fasting was appointed to work out the date of sighting of the moon using Friday, March 26, 2021 as the 12th day of Sha’ban.

According to the communique, the first day for the sighting of the moon shall start on Monday, April 12, of 2021, when Sha’ban shall be 29 days.

"If sighted, Tuesday, April 13th becomes the first day of Ramadan 2021. If not sighted, Tuesday April 13th becomes the 30th day of Shaban. Therein Wednesday, April 14th shall be the first day of Ramadan 2021", the communique explained.

COVID-19

The communique also asked Muslims to strictly observe the COVID-19 protocols especially in these times of the second wave of the pandemic.

It called on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to intensify education to clear the misconception surrounding the COVID 19 vaccines.

"It has also become necessary for the GHS to do serious advocacy on the need to attach importance to the vaccination for prevention and management of the inherent dangers of the pandemic," the communique further stated.

Other national issues

On road accidents, the conference stated that safety on the country's roads was a collective responsibility.

It said the loss of precious lives through road accidents had become a national crisis which needed urgent solution.

The communique, therefore, advised road users to abide by all rules and regulations binding the use of the road to prevent further loss of lives.

LGBTQI

The conference further condemned the upsurge of activities of gays and lesbians in the country and called for measures to stamp out such abominable practices.

"We Muslims in Ghana vehemently condemn the act and seriously frown against it since this is against the norms of natural course of mind and bodily sexual gratification."

It explained that Islam had declared gayism and lesbianism as an abomination and should therefore be summarily stamped out of the system.