Mr Alfred Tuah-Yebaoh, the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, on Tuesday implored Muslims to cherish and help preserve the nation’s prevailing peace for the purpose of development.

He said Muslims could do this if Zongo youth guarded against acts of violence and all forms of unhealthy behaviours, as they celebrated this year’s Eid Ul-Adha.

Mr Tuah-Yeboah gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on the side-lines of the annual Eid Ul-Adha festival celebration of the Muslim Community in Sunyani.

He earlier joined hundreds of Muslim youth, scholars and Imams who converged at the Jubilee Park to pray for the nation, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government to mark the celebration.

Mr Tuah-Yeboah acknowledged and appreciated the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and other religious sects in the country, and urged Muslim youth to continue to uphold tolerance, and refrain from unhealthy behaviours that could tarnish the image of the Islamic religion.

Islam, he reminded the Muslim youth, remained a peaceful religion and asked them to be guided by Islamic teachings and principles of ‘tolerance and forbearance’ to help to promote national peace and social cohesion.

Alhaji Baba Seidu, the Bono Regional Deputy Chief Imam, who led the Muslim prayers, emphasised the festivity behoved on all Muslims across the country to exhibit high sense of humility and civility in addition to demonstrating purity in obedience to ‘Allah’ and mankind.

“Eid ul-Adha is an occasion to recall to mind, the ancient divine directive of ‘Ibrahim’ to offer his only son ‘Issa' as a sacrificial lamb to Allah and which he obeyed,” Alhaji Seidu said, and emphasised the need for Muslims to show kindness, love and respect to each other.

“We must endeavour not to cheat and have any ugly relationship with our neighbours, because Islam frowns on greed, selfishness and hatred,” he urged the Muslims.

Intercessory prayers were also offered for sustained peace and national progress, and sealed with a sacrifice of a ram.