Women have been urged to look out for the interest of others and foster good neighbourliness amongst themselves.
Dr Rabiatu D. Ammah, Senior Lecturer of the Department for the study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon said to effectively foster good neighbourliness, women had to break the chain or pattern of stereotypes against each other.
“Irrespective of our religious beliefs or social orientation, we are all humans and deserve to be catered for. Humans are dignified beings and must be upheld at all times. Nobody should trample upon the rights of a fellow human. Diversity is important because it points us to God. Let us embrace unity in diversity,” she said.
Dr Ammah gave the advice on Wednesday during the opening session of the Faith to Action Women’s Conference (FAWC) 2021 organized by the Centre for Interfaith Studies and Engagement in Africa (CISEA) in Accra.
The event is on the theme: “Promoting Good Neighbourliness: The Role of Women.”
The Senior Lecturer advised participants to help transform members of their societies to live righteously, adding that, they should not only impart good morals into their children but extend them to everyone around them.
She said they should consciously move beyond forming mere acquaintances with their neighbours and get to know them properly.
“Let us not take our co-existence for granted because neighbourliness will quicken development for the whole nation. Neighbourliness is about doing all sorts of positive things to improve the lives of others. To achieve this, we must be role models,” she added.
Reverend Dr Solomon Sulee-Saa, Director of CISEA, said all religions, especially Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional religion taught their followers about the need to foster neighbourliness.
He said Ghana’s cultural heritage was also one that encouraged hospitality and concern for one another.
Rev Sulee-Saa advised women to spearhead the transformation agenda of inculcating the fear of God into all and sundry, especially the younger generation to halt moral decadence and all anti-social vices in the country.
“Let us not leave the development of our dear nation solely in the hands of politicians. Let us break that barrier of depending on politicians for every change we desire in our societies. We also have a role to play in making the nation the best and safest place to live,” he added.
Mrs Kokoi-Mottah Teye, National President of the International Interfaith Women Network for Peace and Development (IIWNPD) urged the participants to leverage the knowledge gained at the conference to change the status quo.
“I entreat all of us to put in our maximum efforts to learn and commit our resources to create a better nation, and promote peace and development through networking of our various faiths,” she said.
Faith to Action Women’s Conference (FAWC) is an annual gathering of women from Christian, Muslim, and Traditional leadership, to inspire and empower them to transform their religious faiths into action for the peace and development of society.
The FAWC has over the years attracted many women from different faith backgrounds and denominations in Ghana and other parts of the world.
