By Abdullahi Yusuf Tela
Last week, I was a participant at the 5th International Conference on Love & Tolerance with the theme “countering violent extremism for peaceful coexistence” held in Kaduna. The conference which was also held in Abuja and Lagos was organized by UFUK Dialogue in conjunction with Daily Trust, IPCR, National Council for Women Societies, MSSN and other partners.
It is no news that violent extremism has become deep rooted in almost every part of the world. Religious extremists all over the world have brought new terroristic and unfounded ideas which in turn now serve as the world’s greatest threat to peaceful coexistence. The Middle East and some parts of Asia especially the likes of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and the rest are hot spots of religious extremism in the world.
Similarly, Nigeria has over the years suffered and still facing the razing fire of the religious extremists group, Boko Haram. Boko Haram insurgents have killed thousands of innocent citizens across the nation. This deadly act has however brought a wide imaginary division amongst the major faiths in the country. Majorly, Nigeria as a country has been faced with lingering crises of religious, ethnic, regional and political differences.
In the course of the conference, the key discussant, an American professor, Alexander Scott, a Christian who is also a professor in Islamic studies attributed the increasing intensity of violent extremism in the world to Triumphalism. He described triumphalism as the feeling that one’s religion is superior to the other. Scott, opined that two major faiths in the world-Christianity and Islam are ‘fighting’ over which is the original religion of God.
Apparently, in the Nigerian clime, the issue of religion has over the years use as a disintegrating factor that threatens the peaceful coexistence of the people. For instance, the negative reactions that trail the Nathaniel Samuel, Winners Chapel, Kaduna, attempted suicide bomber evidently showed that the nation is not yet ready to counter the violent extremism. This incident reignited and reinforced the pre-existing religious division amongst the people.
Instead of the whole nation to accept the fact that this was a terrorist attack, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslims Rights’ Commission (MURIC) went ahead defining and redefining the faith of the attempted suicide bomber. Unfortunately, CAN and MURIC were at loggerheads over which religion Nathaniel belongs to. Both of the bodies refused to accept the fact that terrorism has no religion.
From the several attacks carried out by this terrorist group, all the two major faiths have been attacked, not once and or twice. It can be recalled that a mosque in Kano and in other parts of north eastern states, have been attacked by this terrorist group. The notion of one religious group attacking the other should be cleared. As mentioned by Rev. Dr. Akanji Israel, who was also a discussant at the event, Muslims and Christians have been living peacefully before the rapid spread of religious extreme which became famous during the Maitatsine era.
It is important to point out that in countering violent extremism such ill ideas of spread and propagated by these terrorist groups should be condemned. Both religions preach peace. In fact, it should be understood that terrorist groups may even be sponsored groups created to subdue and divert the attention of the people over serious issues of national development.
It is high time that we start accepting terrorist attacks without hinging it on religion. In my view, religion is not our problem in Nigeria. In some areas such as the South-West part of the country you are likely to find a Muslim husband and a Christian wife and vice versa living happily. People only attach violence to religion in order to push a course or create unnecessary furore. Who knows if the Kaduna Chapel was also staged to create such uproar considering the fact that Nigerians are so sensitive to religious issues?
To counter such devilish acts in the society, the people need to join hands together and start acting on what has been preached day by day in similar conferences, summits and seminars. Government who has the sole responsibility of providing security on the nation should endeavour in their own part to speed up it pace. The security of the nation is deteriorating day after day due with the high rate of insurgency, banditry and kidnappings.
In the same vein, the government should try as much as possible to provide a employment opportunities to the teeming youths who are out there without jobs. Unemployed youths who wallow in poverty are gullible and vulnerable in venturing into violent acts. Such kinds of people are easily persuaded to perpetrate evil acts.
Once more, let us understand our differences with love and tolerance and “reserve in our hearts a seat for everyone”.
Tela Can be reached through: abdultela2@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
