General News of Friday, 24 February 2017

Source: Cecil Mensah

'Bisexual' son of Islamic Scholar runs for cover

Alhassan Siba Abdul Rahim, Muslim youth Alhassan Siba Abdul Rahim, Muslim youth

Alhassan Siba Abdul Rahim, a Muslim youth believed to be a bisexual in Sabongida, a suburb of Tamale, in the Northern Regional Capital is on the run for close to three years now for fear that his life is at risk.

Abdul Rahim whose father is a well-known Sheikh (an Islamic scholar) in Tamale flee the regional capital since July 2014, for fear of his life being taken after suspected to be a bisexual.

Abdul Rahim who was always receiving insults and death threats from some angry Muslim youth in the area where he was living could not reveal the issue to anyone but, to go into hiding where no one knows his whereabouts till date.

Speaking on strict conditions of anonymity, Abdul Rahim's friend name “Withheld” said: “we still don’t know where he is hiding or which country he has left Ghana for and I am appealing to everyone to protect him wherever he is.

“Being a bisexual does not mean he should be thrown or chase out of the community, it is his feeling to practice, though the laws of Ghana’s frowns on it,” he added.

According to the friend, Abdul Rahim who would be 25 years in December 2017 always had the view that though he is a Muslim and the father is a well-known Islamic Scholar, he has the free will as a human being to choose which relationship to go into whenever they were arguing.

He said the physical insults and death threats through mobile phone calls from some angry Muslim youth in their area on account of his perceived engagement in bisexualism instigated his flee.

He said Abdul Rahim inform him as a friend about the threats which he did not at that time consider serious, but could not also report it to the police for fear that the laws of Ghana would not permit the practice of the act.

“Some days later Abdul Rahim confessed to me that he was in the practice of bisexualism before leaving the town.