Christian elders charge Muslim leaders on killing of Christians
- Christian elders have asked Muslim leaders to look into the issue of hate preaching
- They noted that democracy and Sharia were not compatible
- They called for a meeting with Muslim leaders
Christian elders under the aegis of National Christian Elders’ Forum have sent a message to Muslim leaders to break down the doctrine of hate which they say is responsible for attacks on Christians.
According to the group, Democracy versus Sharia is the root of the country’s problem and insists both systems cannot be married together in a country.
Vanguard reports that in a statement signed by Solomon Asemota who is the leader of the group, he charged Muslim leaders to look into the issue and solve the problem.
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“What the nation is witnessing today can be attributed to three immediate factors: The doctrine of hatred that was used to indoctrinate Almajiris in the various Islamic Madrassas in the North where Muslims were deliberately taught to hate Christians and people of other faiths.
“Secondly, the concept of “sacred space” in which Islamists believe, for example, that the road leading to their mosque belongs exclusively to them.
“The “sacred space” concept is applied to every area in which Islamism has travelled. The belief is that all land on earth has been given by Allah to Muslims and it is theirs by right, to stage a Jihad to retake them.
“Thirdly, the result of one Nation operating two political systems of Democracy and Sharia.
“Nigeria is witnessing a recurring decimal of violence as a result of narrow minded religious indoctrination and the onus is on Muslim leaders in the country to take steps to reverse this anomaly in the best interest of everyone.
“No country can make progress and live in peace when a section of the population is consumed with hatred for other citizens.
“The National Christian Elders’ Forum wishes to emphasize, once again, that the main cause of the crisis in Nigeria is rooted in the conflict of ideology – Democracy versus Sharia in which one nation has two systems of government. It is impossible to have two national ideologies (Democracy and Sharia) as we witness today.
“Nigeria was established by our founding fathers, British and Nigerians, as a Democratic country to accommodate all the divergent groups within the nation. Those whose aim is to turn the Nation into a Sharia state are the architects of the present distress.
“The National Christian Elders’ Forum is calling on all Christian leaders to meet urgently and appraise the situation in the Nation with the Vice President, Pastor Yemi Osibanjo SAN as Chairman.
“There is the need for a holistic response to the relentless attacks by Islamists on Christians and Christian communities. Thereafter, there should be a meeting with Muslim leaders. This is the only way out of this agony, because while the Islamist Jihadists are few, the majority of Muslims must lead in the fight against Islamist extremism.
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“If Nigeria is to remain a nation that all the citizens will call their home, Islamic leaders must champion the cause of dismantling the “doctrine of hatred” and promote Democracy which guarantees freedom of choice for all the citizens.
“Those pushing for Sharia ideology should be persuaded by their Muslim counterparts that in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society like Nigeria, Sharia as a national ideology cannot stand.
“If this is not done, and done quickly, then the nation that is tottering on the edge of the precipice will be pushed beyond the brink. Christians constitute a significant portion of the Nigerian population and, it is impossible to have Nigeria without Christians.”
Meanwhile, Christians have been asked to protect themselves in the wake of the murder of a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor’s wife.
According to The Nation, the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria described the recent killing of Christians as brutal and unacceptable, adding: “authority’s inaction is becoming unbearable and may not be tolerated anymore.”
Source: Legit.ng
