There has been a clash of wills over who will become the Imam of the Central Mosque in Inisa town, in the Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.
The Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheik Dawood Molaasan, in a live video on Facebook on Tuesday, stated that the Imam selection crisis, which began in 2020 and led to the shutdown of the mosque, has escalated.
He blamed the escalation on the king of the community, Olunisa of Inisa, Oba Joseph Oladunjoye Oyedele (JP) Fasikun II, alleging that he has a favourite for the position despite being a Christian.
According to him, Islamic philanthropists and the Aare Musulumi (Muslim head) in Inisa had all agreed to select someone with relevant Islamic knowledge, but the king wanted a different person who was not versatile and had a pending case in court.
He noted that this has divided the Islamic groups in the community, adding that it is also against the practice of Prophet Mohammad (SAW).
The Grand Mufti, therefore, urged that an examination should be conducted to determine the most suitable candidate for the mosque Imam position, maintaining that this is based on the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (SAW), who emphasized the importance of appointing someone with good knowledge of Islam.
Recall that the mosque had been shut down by the Osun State Government in 2021 due to a feud over the selection of the new Chief Imam, which resulted in the loss of lives.
It was, however, reopened after a peaceful resolution was reached.