By Ibrahima Yakubu
Hundreds of Muslims joined their Christian counterparts to attend church service in Kaduna to celebrate Christmas to practically demonstrate love, peace and unity among followers of the two main religions
Pastor of the church and General Overseer of Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry, Dr, Yohanna Buru acknowledged the overwhelming participation of the Muslims.
He noted that despite the cold weather , scarcity of naira, insecurity challenges and high transportation costs, Muslims, including women and children attended the 12th annual Christmas morning service.
“This tradition signifies a shared celebration of love, understanding, and religious tolerance”.
Representatives of diverse Muslim sects, including Tijjaniya, Shiite, Kadriyya, and Sunni, presented a considerate gift to the church, symbolizing their commitment to peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance
Buru said, for the past 12 years we have been celebrating christmas together in this church with our muslim brothers .
We are also thanking all journalists that has been covering our annual christmas ceremony in the country
Last year saw a notable shift, with more Muslims attending the church service than Christians, indicating a growing trend of inclusivity.
Pastor Buru highlighted the commonality between Christians and Muslims, recognizing shared teachings from the Bible and the Qur’an that guide both communities towards peaceful cohabitation.
“We must remember that we are created by One God, and we are the children of Adams and Eve, and we both have our holy scriptures (Bible&Qur’an) from One God which guided us on how to live in peace and harmony with each other”.
However, Pastor Buru expressed concern about escalating insecurity, daily bloodshed, banditry, kidnapping, and ethno-religious killings affecting the Northern region.
The christian cleric pointed that the church cannot forget the annual contribution to a muslim woman Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani ,who always doles out gift to the church widows and orphans with the aim of strengthening peace and religious tolerance in kaduna.
Representing various Muslim sects, Sheick Ibrahim Musa from.hayin kogi ,igabi local.government kaduna expressed joy at joining Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
He emphasized on the togetherness between Muslims and Christians, considering them as fellow brothers and sisters in humanity.
Sheik Musa thanked the church for its hospitality and appreciated Pastor Buru’s efforts in promoting unity among different faith-based organizations.
Sheik Musa clarified that attending the Christmas service does not make him a Christian but reflects a commitment to strengthening the relationship between Christians and Muslims for lasting peace and unity.
In conclusion, he said pastor Dr yohanna buru has been attending annual maulud celebration to foster peace and unity in the country and as well promote tolerance and better understanding
Also responding, the national president of Beyond the Borders of Disability in Nigeria, Comrade Rilwanu Abdullahi expressed happiness for being able to join christians to mark this year’s christmas
to celebrate the birth of the Jesus Christ.
He said, “we are One family under God ,and every muslim believes in Jesus christ
“We will keep praying for peace and unity”.
Also commenting, Hajiya Wasila Adams from a non governmental organization Peace and Human Rights Foundation of Nigeria says, peace is all they want and that is why they were here to spead the message of peace and unity in the country
“We are brothers and sister, therefore we are to promote peace,” She said.