State House, Freetown, Thursday 5 March 2020 – Popular Islamic Scholar, Mufti Menk, who is on his “Building Bridges” tour in Sierra Leone, has paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio at State House in Freetown.
During the visit, First Lady Her Excellency Fatima Maada Bio who presented the cleric said that Menk was an African who pioneered Islam around the world. She said President Bio had given all the support to ensure the safe arrival of Mr Menk and his delegation into the country and also commended the President for his support to the Islamic cause in the country.
In his statement, Mufti Menk thanked the people of Sierra Leone for the wonderful welcome accorded him and his delegation, saying that it had been overwhelming. He commended the First Lady for facilitating the move and also noted that his idea was to pray and empower the nation in a way it would project growth and success.
“I firmly believe in ‘Building Bridges’, wherein people of different faiths learn to respect each other and respect their rights to believe in whatever religion they have chosen. We have the ‘Building Bridges’ tour wherein we can educate people to leave in harmony and peace no matter their affiliations. We have heard some of the great causes that the President stands for and we hope that we can somehow support some of them by the will of the Almighty Allah,” he said.
In his response, President Bio, on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, welcomed Menk and his delegation. He said that Sierra Leone was proud of its heritage as a religiously tolerant nation, adding that the visit of the popular scholar was a reaffirmation of the country’s level of tolerance.
“We have enjoyed quite a lot of tolerance and we are very proud of it. We want to continue to promote it. So, you are actually helping us do what we are so proud of. We need deep voices like yours to promote positive messages. We have placed priority in investing in human beings so that we can have a solid foundation for development,” he said.
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