By Ibrahima Yakubu
Kaduna (Nigeria) – A team of Christian clerics in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria have donated hundreds of plastic kettles and prayer mats to some Mosque within the state metropolis in an effort to promote religious tolerance and strengthen peaceful coexistence among adherents of the different religion in the state.
The General Overseer of Christ Evangelical Intercessory Fellowship Ministry, Pastor Yohanna Buru, who leads the team said, their visitation and donation was aimed at boosting cordial relationship and encouraging religious tolerance between the two major religion in the country.
He said their target is to visit 30 Mosques, believing their action would make their followers learn how to live peacefully with one another and shun all forms of ethno-religious, political, socio-economic and communal crisis.
“We are targeting 30 mosques today to extend the hands of fellowship and friendship through our donation of praying materials and to interact with other top Islamic scholars on ways to strengthen peace and inter-faith- harmony. We are also using this platform to spread the message of forgiveness, love, tolerance, and understanding.”
According to him, the church cannot forget the donation of 50 copies of Bible it received from a group of Muslim women in February 2016 during the international Inter-faith week; saying, this is geared towards promoting religious tolerance.
Buru added that, “we are donating 50 plastic kettles and praying mats to each mosque we are visiting today. We all worship one God because we are from one family under God through Adams and Eve. Both the church and mosque are holy places of Worship of the Almighty father.”
“The Division of Kaduna state as a result of religious and political crisis is a total setback to peace and stability in the country; considering how the southern part is highly dominated by Christian’s settlers and the northern region dominated by majority Muslims. This has resulted to both mosques and churches now opening their own schools in their areas, making citizens see some other communities as the enemy’s zone – if this is not tackled now, it would surely cause a great damage to the future of the country” he lamented.
“The Muslims are our brothers and neighbors not enemies; we must join hands together to live in peace, and harmony because we all have Holy books (Qur’an and Bible) that teach us love and peace.”
In their separate remark, other members of the visiting team, pastor Joel Zigo and evangelist Jonathan called for unity between Muslims and Christian while emphasizing the need for religious scholars to redouble effort in teaching their followers the importance of dialogue, forgiveness and tolerance as key to ending communal and religious crisis.
Receiving the gift items at one of the mosque visited in Rigasa, Lawal Maduru expressed satisfaction over the donation and said, “It is a big surprise to Muslim Umma for a Christian to buy praying mat and plastics kettle for Muslim worshippers to be using.”
Also commending the effort of the Clerics, Sheik Abdullahi Ismail, pointed out that, “By God grace, with attitudes of this nature, peace has come to stay in Nigeria.” He however urged both Muslims and Christians to triple their effort in praying and fasting for the peace and unity of the country.
The Mats and prayer kettles were distributed to the physically challenged Mosque at Kano Road (Masallacin Nakasassu),Nigerian Union of Journalist Mosque, Umaru Gwamdu Malali Mosque, Rigasa Mosques, Unguwar Dosa, Kawo, Barnawa, and Barakallahu among others.
