Why Dr. Bawumia’s latest church-building gesture has shamed the bigots who are building walls of division

In recent weeks, when some self-styled defenders of faith have been heard loudly proclaiming that a Muslim, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, should not be allowed to lead Ghana because Ghana is a “Christian country”, a fitting answer which shamed the bigots came through from Weija.

On Saturday, June 29, 2026, Dr. Bawumia commissioned the newly built St. Jude’s Catholic Church at New Weija in Accra – a beautiful edifice he personally built for the congregation, including cured lepers at the Weija leprosarium.

There is profound symbolism in this remarkable gesture. While bigots are on radio and on social media preaching division against Bawumia in the name of God, he, the Muslim leader, is unperturbed and quietly building a house of God for Christians.

This was not a political gimmick. It was, Dr. Bawumia revealed, the fulfillment of a promise he made to his long-time friend, Father Andrew Campbell, the renowned Catholic priest and founder of the Lepers Aid Centre.

Father Campbell himself has told the story of how Dr. Bawumia has, over the years, been a pillar of support for his charity works, not for publicity, but out of genuine compassion.

And Bawumia’s construction of St. Jude’s Church is not an isolated case. It is a pattern. Anyone who has followed Dr. Bawumia’s public life knows his remarkable record of interfaith respect:

He builds and supports the construction of mosques, as a devout Muslim should, but he equally builds and supports churches. From contributions to the construction of churches across the country, Dr. Bawumia has shown that he does not see a Christian project as “their” project.

He honours invitations to church programmes – not just during election years, but consistently. He has been seen at Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal and Charismatic gatherings, sitting quietly, listening, and contributing generously as guest speaker.

Dr. Bawumia has proven that he genuinely respects Christian leaders and seeks their counsel. His remarkable friendship with Father Campbell, a man who has dedicated his life to caring for lepers abandoned by society, is telling.

Father Campbell said it best when he described Dr. Bawumia as a man whose “generosity and compassion knows no religious boundary.” That is the testimony of a Catholic priest about a Muslim politician.

Just last week, the Anglican Church in Cape Coast honoured Dr. Bawumia with the priest calling him “a man of integrity” among other commendations right in the church.

Ghana has never been a Christian country or a Muslim country. Ghana is a Ghanaian country – a nation where the mosque and the church share the same street in Nima, where a families have both a Christian and a, where Muslims share Sallah meal with Christian neighbours.

True Ghanaian leadership should therefore not be based on whether one is a Muslim or a Christian. It should be about competence, patriotism, and character!

Those who claim that a Muslim cannot lead Ghana are not defending Christianity. They are insulting it. By their own divisive words, these bigots have shown they understand neither their faith nor their country.

Their dangerous rhetoric must be shamed and rejected by all well-meaning Ghanaians – Christians, Muslims, and Traditionalists.

We cannot allow a few voices of hate to burn the interfaith harmony that our fathers, our pastors, and our imams have built over decades.

If we want a test of leadership, let it be this: Who respects diversity? Who will protect the church as he protects the mosque? Who will be President for all?

Dr. Bawumia, a man who builds churches while being a Muslim does not need to preach about religious tolerance. He lives it.