Baba Jamal Declares Jihad

The political climate in Akwatia in the run-up to the re-run election has hit a fever pitch with the NDC aspirant for the parliamentary seat, Mr. Baaba Jamal declaring a Jihad (holy war) � �Yes I have declared this election as Jihad � not only in the mosque but also elsewhere�. He however dismissed claims that declaring the elections as Jihad means he is declaring war. According to Mr. Jamal, Jihad does not necessarily mean killing people in war. He explained that some of his Moslem colleagues have misinterpreted the meaning of Jihad as killing innocent people. He defined Jihad as doing good for one�s country and people and so he asked listeners not to get him wrong. Baba Jamal was speaking on Peace FM�s �Kokrokoo� morning show in reaction to NPPs organizer at Akwatia, Yaw Amoabeng�s accusation that he Mr. Jamal had declared the election as war. Both men had made references to the dire political climate unfolding at Akwatia where two vehicles belonging to the constituency organizer of the NDC, Mr. Ernest Kwame Ankrah, and Nana Owusu were burnt by unknown assailants last Friday. The Akwatia constituency is set to go for a re-run of the December 2000 parliamentary election on August 18, 2009 in six polling stations, following the Electoral Commission decision after a court order. This became necessary after the election process was compromised in the six polling stations in Akwatia in the last election.