Knowledge as a social phenomenon is a continuous process. As far one exists on this planet the limit of awareness remains inexhaustible. This was my personal experience when I attended an International Peace Conference organized by Sokoto State Government in conjunction with the Muslim World League held at the Auditorium of Sultan Maccido Institute for Quar'an and General Studies Sokoto from 29th-30th March 2013 under the theme, "Islam and the fundamentals of peaceful coexistence in Nigeria".
Scholars from all over the Muslim world were in attendance as well as Christian and Islamic preachers from Nigeria were invited. Unfortunately, there was a poor representation of Christian leadership, only the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, myself who led a delegation of interfaith Christian leaders with Reverend Wuye honoured the invitation. There was a heavy presence of Muslim leaders from African countries.
While speaking on the topic "Non-Muslims Rights within Muslim Society" an African Scholar, Dr. Almukashifi Taha Al-kabbashi, Member of the Scholars’ Council of Sudan stated that Christians are "ahlul kitaab and not kafir" meaning "men of the book and not infidels". He analyzed the rights of Christians within an Islamic society which includes, the freedom to practice their religion. He stated further that "there is no compulsion in religion". To buttress this point, he cited relevant provisions in the Holy Qua'ran and Hadith. "There is intermarriages between Muslims, ahlul kitaab and the Jews. You cannot attack them unless they aggressed you and seek to prevent you from practicing your religion", he submitted.
Almukashifi lamented the degenerating social harmony in Nigeria, especially the growing rift between Christians and Muslims. According to him, Islam means peace, but contemporary developments misconceived Islam as synonymous with violence based on negative trends associated with it. Islam abhorred violence and no true Muslim will embrace violence as a crusade mechanism for Islam, he argued. He challenged Nigerian Muslims to emulate the peace tradition of Islam as reflected in the life of the Holy Prophet of God, Muhammad (pbuh). Who received a delegation of Christians in Medina and even allowed them to worship in his mosque.
It was an interesting experience for me because I was also guilty of this stereotype that violence has some established traditions in Islamic history due to the way and manner some Muslim clerics propagate Islam. The concept jihad has created serious misgivings between Nigerian Christians and Muslims because non-Muslims perceived it as the killing of kefir (infidels) in the prosecution of holy war. I had listened to some clerics making derogatory remarks about Christians in their sermons. It now baffles my imagination from where did such clerics derived their own revelations which contradicts the teachings of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (Pbuh). I believed fundamentally something is wrong with our religious practices, whether as Muslims or Christians.
While at the conference I received a text message purported to have originated from Christian Association of Nigeria. The tone of messages was asking Christians to stay away from the Conference because Muslims had mobilized funds to be distributed to gullible Christians against the 2015 elections. Ironically, the conference was quite enriching so much that even those Christians who were planted in my delegation had to confessed. They appreciated my contributions in the Peace Conference and by virtue of it remained close to me till date.
There is no doubt the solution to this moral decadence resides within the circumference of our socio-political traditions. Religious leaders are first degree culprits of the growing divide between both faiths. Instead of promoting peaceful co-existence they surrendered themselves as mere tools in the hands of corrupt leadership. As an enterprise employed for advancing material advantages, religion is central in manipulating the people along primordial sentiments to enhance their manipulation. Religious leaders cannot confront political leaders with any question bordering on injustice or corruption rather they preferred night visits to country homes which are rewarded with pregnant envelopes containing dollars. As a result, most of their demons in worship place is determined by such ungodly hours visits. "He who plays the piper dictates the tune" according to African adage.
Consequently, this compromise of obligations has resulted in contaminating the polity with sentiments to the extent that nonperformance, impunity and corrupt practices are celebrated only if the culprits belong to any of the faiths. It's so bad that we have sacrificed credible leadership on the altar of cheap bigotry. Our Muslim brothers must do much to rescue Islam from been hijack by criminal elements. Clerics with the penchant for referring to Christians as kafir (infidels) must refrain such provocative utterances capable of igniting passion. It is even un-Islamic to refer to ahlul kitaab as such. Also, Muslim leaders should explore interfaith dialogue to promote better understanding with Christians. The use of derogatory words on Christians has contributed in no small measure to escalate misgivings between them.
The exploitation of extremism as vehicle for promotion of militant movements has no scriptural foundations. What has also fuelled negative impressions amongst Christians is undignified silence displayed by some influential Muslim leaders to dis-associate Islam from activities of criminal groups taking cover under religion to prosecute what is purely political agenda.
All that is required of Muslim leadership is to disown criminality and extend olive Palm to their Christians counterparts for meaningful collaboration. Can we achieve any meaningful progress without peace? Experiences of other secular societies should be good guide for our search for peaceful co-existence. Kenya and America provides good templates for comparative analysis. When these countries came under terrorist attacks both Christians and Muslims united against a common enemy. Indeed, they succeeded, but in Nigeria, once there is an attack on the Church, Christians will misplace reprisals with more damage than the terrorist attacks, so also the same thing with Muslims. The shout of Allah akabar can send so many innocent souls to heaven or hell. Can we pretend to be serving God when we shed innocent blood? I think there is no justification for it.
The Christians need to shift grounds from antagonist reactions to more accommodating tendencies because the Holy Bible enjoys us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. There is We no compromise about the teachings of Jesus Christ for anything else. The Holy Bible says without love nobody can please God. Imagine Our Lord Jesus stating how many times a Christian is entitled to forgive any person that offends him, seventy times seven in one single day yet Christians today disregard this for self-seeking vengeance. There is no doubt that anybody who wants to follow Christ must carry His cross which the Bible says is heavy. Obviously there is a problem with our reactions to perceived persecutions which Jesus clearly defined as part of the price we must pay as His disciples, therefore what is happening is a divine prophecy for those that believe. Therefore, we watch and pray because the times are challenging because many may fall off track of discipleship.
Gone are the days where followers should blindly swallow hook line and sinker such teachings without cross checking from the Scriptures. Especially when globalization has placed information within easy reach. Both Christians and Muslims alike must purge themselves of intolerance and hatred which is deeply rooted in our subconscious minds. The public highways have been converted into slaughter slops where innocent citizens are profiled and killed based on religious differences. Once there is a terrorist attack, then travelers must reconcile their faiths with their routes otherwise there is no guarantees of survival. In some areas, ethnic and religious militias mount road blocks hunting for people of opposite faiths. Ethnic or religious considerations are used as parameters to determine victims.
In 2001, I was faced with the same situation in Jos. Even as a Christian, I was subjected to all forms of humiliation including compelling me to recite the "Apostle Creed" at gunpoint. Of course, such recitations are done usually under a solemn atmosphere of worship and not a mob driven condition. Ironically, I could not recite it correctly due to tension. However, by divine providence, the mob concluded that I was one of their own, I was released to proceed. We have lost so many lives under these circumstances, how long shall we continue like this?
We must be sincere to admit that both Christians and Muslims are guilty of these carnages in the name of religion. We have enjoyed peaceful co-existence before now therefore it is incredible for spiritual leadership to sacrifice peace for mundane considerations. Once we are able to conquer self-greed, the battle line will be drawn from the corrupt political system which benefits greatly from the crisis. Imagine resources meant for developments are being cornered in the name of security votes yet Nigerians were sleeping with eyes opened. Simply put it, we created the atmosphere for bad leadership to exploit for personal advantages, therefore, why not stave them by leaving peacefully? May I conclude by asking that will God admit perpetrators of these atrocities into Paradise on the day of judgement? Let’s accommodate one other for peace to reign, amen.
Signed Solomon Dalung, LLB, BL, LLM
Distributed by APC USA International Secretariat
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