Upper West Regional Minister faces backlash over remarks on Muslim prayers

The Upper West Regional Minister, Lawyer Charles Lwanga Puozuing, faces criticism from the Muslim community. His remarks about Islamic practices have been deemed disrespectful.

In a viral video, the Minister belittled the five daily prayers. He suggested that those who pray five times daily lack meaningful work. He also claimed that combining prayers at one’s convenience is acceptable to God.

He stated, “It is only when you don’t have proper work that you vividly remember every three hours is prayer time.” He added that busy people might forget to pray or combine all prayers into one time.

These comments sparked outrage among Muslims. The Office of the Upper West Regional Chief Imam responded strongly. In a statement signed by Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, they called the remarks insensitive and inflammatory.

The statement demanded that the Minister fully retract his comments. It also requested a formal public apology to the Muslim community in the region and nationwide. They set a deadline of 72 hours for these actions.

The Chief Imam’s office warned that failure to comply would force the Muslim community to take peaceful actions to protect their faith and dignity.