24th December, 2014
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:
CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS MUST CLOSE RANKS
Nigerian Christians will tomorrow join their counterparts across the globe
in celebrating Christmas. The festival marks the birth of Jesus (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him).
The
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) prays for the safety and well-being of all
adherents of the Christian faith before, during and after Christmas. As usual, we reaffirm our goodwill
for our Christian neighbours and assure all foreigners in the country of our
commitment to their safety and welfare. Essentially, we reject the perverse
ideology of those who ask Muslims to kill Westerners. Islam is not a racist
religion.
We
remind all Nigerians that religion is expected to serve as a link among homo
sapiens. It should therefore not divide us. Love is sine qua non
as an ingredient of righteousness. Religion is therefore dry and incomplete
where there is no love.
MURIC therefore invites Nigerians to love, to tolerate and to forgive one
another. We need these three qualities (love, tolerance and forgiveness) in
order to build a peaceful and progressive nation.
We charge politicians to avoid whipping up religious sentiment during the
ongoing electioneering campaign. By the same token, we remind prospective
voters to shun religious prejudice and ethnic jingoism. Picking candidates on
the basis of credibility is the mark of an enlightened electorate.
We warn that any God-fearing Christian or Muslim can successfully lead
Nigeria to El Dorado whereas a deceitful
Christian or Muslim hypocrite can only end up dividing the country and worsening
the sufferings of Nigerians. Religion is therefore not the issue.
Finally, we appeal to Nigerians to
spend the Yuletide period in praying for the return of peace to our dear
country. We also charge religious leaders to set good example by
closing ranks and by encouraging interfaith dialogue.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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