Alhajj Maulvi Noor Mohammed Bin Salih, the Ameer and Missionary In-Charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission-Ghana, has said that achieving growth, development and nation building as a country require sustainable peace. 'Peace is the turf from which all growth and development thrive and receive nourishment and war is the demon of destruction. Between the two lies social tension - the bedrock of stagnation,' he emphasised. In a speech read on his behalf at the 38th Annual National Rally of Majlis Ansarulla, Ghana (Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Organisation) at T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, in Kumasi, Maulvi Salih said growth and development required peace as the very first ingredient. This year's rally, also known as 'IJTEMA'A', is being held on the theme: 'Ensuring a Peaceful and Credible Election: The Role of Ansarullah.' The event, being attended by participants from across the country, seeks to enhance their moral state, increase their religious knowledge, and also inspire them towards developing an everlasting bond with Allah, the Almighty. Alhajj Mohammed Bin Salih said the organisers could not have chosen a better theme especially at a time when the nation was undergoing another process of selecting leaders to steer the affairs of the country for the next four years. The credibility of an election, he noted, depended very much on the level of fairness that contesting political parties, electorates and election officials were prepared to exhibit. According to him, Islam sets out standards in all these situations which when upheld by the nation would always ensure peaceful elections and would continue to show a shining example for the rest of the world to emulate. He said justice remained the driving force behind every societal endeavour and that justice was key in achieving peaceful and credible elections. The Ameer of the Ahmadiyya Muslims in Ghana further indicated that the right to govern had always remained one area in which peace and tolerance continued to elude mankind, adding that intolerance in politi cs was quite high even in advanced countries. 'In the advanced world, political ideology influences economic direction. Manufacturers of arms for example would invest billions to push a political force into power which will create war situations all over the world to enable them sell their arms for man to destroy man,' he observed. He reiterated the need for Ghanaians to embrace peace ahead of the election to consolidate the gains achieved under the Fourth Republic. Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, said though peace was an essential ingredient in building a prosperous society, citizens could just not wish for it but rather work for it. 'It is imperative that we are guided by principles of a common destiny to combine our individual and collective efforts and aim at improving social harmony and socio-economic conditions in the country,' the Minister advised. He said Islam and the State had a common objective of ensuring peace, stability and development to enable individuals and organis ations to go about their activities unhindered. He urged the youth to desist from all forms of vigilantism which, he said, had become a growing threat to peace and security especially during election periods. Source: Ghana News Agency