AFRICA: NIGERIA: INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR PEACE

Agenzia Fides REPORT - “The root cause is not religion and the solution cannot only be religious,” says a statement sent to Fides by the Interfaith Council of Muslim and Christian Women’s Groups in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. The violent attacks that accompanied and followed the presidential and local elections have left hundreds of victims in northern Nigeria. Careless observers label the violence as religious, but the reality is more complex, as the Nigerian Bishops have repeatedly reaffirmed.
In their statement, the Christian and Muslim women highlight that “while the elite of our society, including our political leaders, live in the lap of luxury, poverty and unemployment are the lot of the majority; the consequent hoards of idle youths in our country are major reasons for the violence we have experienced. Corruption and the lack of transparent implementation of policies are among our gravest cancers in Nigeria.... Although religion is a principal factor in violent conflict here in Northern Nigeria, as in many other parts of the world today, we are convinced that religion can be invaluable in promoting understanding and reconciliation. This can be done within each religious community but we believe it is particularly effective when it is done at an interfaith level.”
The statement continues: “Our two Religions, Islam and Christianity, are invaluable as instruments of reconciliation and of peace because they teach necessary values for co-existence such as peace, forgiveness, mercy, love and so on. Also, because religious leaders carry great authority and are present at all levels of society they can be effective advocates of peace and reconciliation. We believe that we urgently need to exploit that potential of religion here in Northern Nigeria and call on all stakeholders, particularly government, to encourage interfaith platforms at all levels.”
In particular, they welcome the establishment in each State, of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, which plays an important role in conflict prevention and peace building. The statement further calls on women of all religious beliefs to perform an educational role in promoting a culture of peace and reconciliation.

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