Nigerians Urged to Respect Other Faiths
Members of various communities in the country have been told that diverse religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural affiliations should not necessarily result in disunity.
Speaking at the Ramadan lecture organised by the Oyun community chapter of Jama'atu Nasril Islam at Onijagbo Palace, Ijagbo in Kwara State, the Director, Centre for Ilorin Studies, University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Oladosu, said it was the function of every community member and leader to promote unity in diversity.
"Afterall, the Glorious Quran reminds us of the unity of the human origin, as all men and women of different faith, culture, ethnicity, among others originated from the same parents in person of Adam and Hawau (Eve). It is disheartening to observe that 52 years into the country's independence, some people are still pushing the idea of secession and disintegration. These elements might have lost sight of the wise sayings that: united we stand, divided we fall, and that one hand can never clap, and also that, it is when the five fingers unite that they can beat the chest sonorously," he said.
Speaking on the topic, The role of the Muslim Ummah in a multi-religious country like Nigeria, Profesor Oladosu, who is also the Chief Imam of University of Ilorin, said that interactions between Muslims and Christians and adherents of other faiths should be guided by kindness, justice, mutual respect, mutual understanding and cordial relationship.
He also said that there was nowhere in the Glorious Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) where approval was granted for anybody or group of bodies to attack churches or other places of worship, adding that, "in fact, all places of worship have sactity and are therefore, safe havens for the faithful."
The Islamic scholar also said that community and religious leaders in the country have additional responsibility of convincing misguided who he said had constituted themselves into perennial cogs in the wheel of national unity, and make them understand that it is not part of the grand design of Allah to force any particular faith on mankind.
"In fact, if Allah had so wished, he could have forced the totality of mankind to believe in one single God or to affiliate to one single religion but out of His special grace, men and women are given the freedom of choice among several religious options", he said.
He also said that community and religious leaders should therefore, endeavour to guide aright and re-educate the misguided elements in their folds, saying there could be no peaceful co-existence and national unity where places of worship are bombed and set ablaze.
He also said that people must also support any effort to include the imperatives of peaceful co-existence as well as unity in diversity, in the school curricula at various educational levels.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Naira Redesign Abubakar Suleiman Sola Saraki Educational Foundation Khairat Gwadabe Ayotunde Emmanuel Alao Ibrahim Abiodun Alabere Kwasu Garment Factory FERMA Najim Yaasin Sun Qing Rong Kwara State Fish Farmers Association Razak Atunwa Alloy Chukwuemeka Gbugbu Balogun Gambari State Bureau Of Internal Revenue Shao Akorede Patience Jonathan Segun Adeniyi Usman Alkali Baba Bello Oyebanji Curfew Col. Adedipe Bolaji Abdullahi Esuwoye Yusuf AbdulRasheed Yakub Ali-Agan Gurei GGDSS Pakata Nigerian Correctional Service Funmilayo Zubair Isiaka Gold Ilorin Innovation Hub Omu-aran John Dara Ilorin Airport Shururat Olatinwo Goodluck Jonathan Aliyu Alhassan MINILS Na\'Allah David Oyerinola Adedunmoye Erubu Oba Zubair Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd Umar Ayinla Saro Olatunde Jare Ilesha-Baruba Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq Lanre Aremu Maimunat Oniyangi Abubakar Baba Alabe Maja Garba Ado Sanni Eleyele Kwara State Health Insurance Agency Playing Host Ajayi Okasanmi Abdulazeez Arowona Saadu Gbogbo Iwe Abdulrazaq Solihudeen Sheikh Ariyibi Ganmo Power Sub-Station Omupo Nigerian Medical Association Taofik Mustapha Rasheed Jimoh Lafiagi Kwara Volleyball Association Alfa Modibbo Belgore Olohungbebe Abatemi-Usman Dorcas Afeniforo Sa\'adatu Modibbo-Kawu

