Accra, Sept. 30, GNA-The first in a series of the annual Mujahid Ramadan Memorial Lectures began in Accra on Saturday, with a call on Muslims to unite and reflect the teachings of Islam so as to discount negative notions about the religion. Hajj S S Haruna, past president of the Ghana Muslim Academy, who made the call, said unity played a very important role in the socio-economic development of every nation and that with it they would succeed.

The lecture organised by the Ghana Muslim Academy was on the topic: "The plight of the Ghanaian Muslim youth" Hajj Haruna, who is also a member of the Hajj Council, said he was not happy anytime Muslims were mentioned in connection with crime and immoral activities since such activities brought the image of Islam into disrepute.

He urged the youth to focus on developmental issues since the key to development was unity. Hajj Haruna advised them to abstain from pre-marital sex, which he said was the best ,way of ensuring that they did not contract the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease. He advised parents to send their children to school because the only way to raise their image was through education, saying "if you are a parent and you shirk your responsibility bare it in mind that you are not going to produce a good citizen in future and therefore asked them also to take active interest in the education of their children."

He described the late Mujahid Mohammed Toure, former President of the Ghana Muslim Academy, who died barely 10 years ago, as a man who stood for peace and unity. He commended the role he played in uniting the Muslim folk. Mr Seth Owusu Ibrahim, President of the Ghana Muslim Academy, urged the youth to unite and fight for a common goal since unity is the tool for development.

The second lecture will be delivered in Accra on October 7.