Mustapha Abdul-Hamid

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was born in the Northern Regional capital of Tamale on 14 June 1971 to Hamidu Yakubu and Adama Musah. Hamidu Yakubu was a soldier with the 6th Battalion of Infantry in Tamale. Adama Musah is a retired teacher who taught in various schools around the Tamale metropolis. He attended the Station Experimental Primary School in Tamale from 1976 to 1982. He then went to Bawku Secondary School for his Ordinary Level from 1982 to 1987. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid entered Tamale Secondary School in 1987 for his Advanced level. In 1991, he entered the University of Cape Coast to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course with English Language, Classics and Religious Studies. He eventually majored in Religious Studies, obtaining a Second Class, Upper Division. He also pursued a Diploma in Education concurrently with the Degree program. He obtained an MPhil in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Coast in 2003. In September 2017, he completed and was awarded a PhD in Religious Studies by the University of Cape Coast. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid's research interests are in the area of Islamic Mysticism, Political Thought in Islam, Islam and Gender and Islam in Ghana. He has published extensively in reputable journals around the world. Some of his publications include, "Religious Language and the Charge of Blasphemy: In Defense of Al-Hallaj," and "Christian-Muslim Relations in Ghana: A Model for World Dialogue and Peace." Mustapha Abdul-Hamid showed an early interest and capacity for debate. In Bawku Secondary School where he had his Ordinary Level education and at Tamale Secondary School where he had his Advance level education, he was a member of the Debating Teams of both schools. He is a faithful adherent of Islam and before being Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, was already very much involved in Islamic activities in Muslim communities across the country. During his student days at the University of Cape Coast, he was President of the Ghana Muslim Students Association and the Students Representative Council. His devotion to Islam is based on the training he received by his father. As early as age 7, Mustapha was already a muezzin for the neighbourhood mosque where they both worshiped. Mustapha's parents divorced when he was about four years old. His father took custody of him according to both Islamic and Northern tradition. In Islamic tradition, in particular, fathers are required to take custody of their male children in the event of a divorce, if they have attained the age of two. And so his father brought him up by strict military discipline. He is married and has seven kids.^[3]