curator
Administrator
Christian and Muslim leaders under the auspices of the Christian/Muslim Interactive Conference have emphasised the need for constant dialogue among leaders of different faith.
The group said such dialogue would help to tackle the menace of violence in the country.
Speakers at the forum made this known in their first meeting held at the instance of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said it was one of the steps adopted by leaders of both faiths in recent times to tackle persistent violence in the country.
He said that adherents of both Islam and Christianity in the country were at crossroads as politicians exploited religion to advance their interests.
``This conference is timely as we all know this country is experiencing serious security challenges culminating in destruction of lives and property.
``Let me emphasise that our coming together under this peaceful atmosphere is timely as its fruits has the capacity to set an agenda for achieving the desired unity and peace,’’ he said.
He criticised some inflammatory and provocative utterances attributed to some political and opinion leaders in the country.
He noted that such actions should not be encouraged by any individual.
Ortsejafor said that much peace would be achieved in the society if leaders adhered strictly to the teachings of the holy books.
He said that the leaders would continue to meet and deliberate further on better ways of advancing the cause of peace and unity across the country.
A co-facilitator of the forum, Mr Abdul Isiaq, said the meeting was timely and would go a long way to address the gaps that existed between Christians and Muslims.
According to him, the careful study of the root causes of religious disharmony shows that it is tied to the inability of direct and frank interaction among all societal strata.
Isiaq said that leaders of the various groups must never shy away from the opportunities to dialogue in order to protect the legacies of the nation’s founding fathers.
He said that inter-religious dialogue was the panacea to Nigeria’s numerous socio-economic and political challenges that had threatened the continued existence of the nation.
On his part, Prof Mohammed Al’Amin of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), called for the reorientation of the Muslim community with specific emphasis on parental responsibility.
Al’Amin said that some parents in parts of the country must learn to take greater responsibility in the development of their children.
He attributed the challenges of violence and moral decadence in the society partly on parental irresponsibility.
He said that most parents in the north had abdicated the responsibility of raising their children to foster parents.
Such foster parents, he said, often manipulated the culture, religion and belief of such vulnerable children to cause mayhem in society.
NAN reports that other religious leaders who attended the meeting include Primate of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, and leaders of the major blocs in CAN.
NAN also reports that Imam Mohammed Ashafa led other prominent Islamic clergy to the meeting.
The group said such dialogue would help to tackle the menace of violence in the country.
Speakers at the forum made this known in their first meeting held at the instance of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said it was one of the steps adopted by leaders of both faiths in recent times to tackle persistent violence in the country.
He said that adherents of both Islam and Christianity in the country were at crossroads as politicians exploited religion to advance their interests.
``This conference is timely as we all know this country is experiencing serious security challenges culminating in destruction of lives and property.
``Let me emphasise that our coming together under this peaceful atmosphere is timely as its fruits has the capacity to set an agenda for achieving the desired unity and peace,’’ he said.
He criticised some inflammatory and provocative utterances attributed to some political and opinion leaders in the country.
He noted that such actions should not be encouraged by any individual.
Ortsejafor said that much peace would be achieved in the society if leaders adhered strictly to the teachings of the holy books.
He said that the leaders would continue to meet and deliberate further on better ways of advancing the cause of peace and unity across the country.
A co-facilitator of the forum, Mr Abdul Isiaq, said the meeting was timely and would go a long way to address the gaps that existed between Christians and Muslims.
According to him, the careful study of the root causes of religious disharmony shows that it is tied to the inability of direct and frank interaction among all societal strata.
Isiaq said that leaders of the various groups must never shy away from the opportunities to dialogue in order to protect the legacies of the nation’s founding fathers.
He said that inter-religious dialogue was the panacea to Nigeria’s numerous socio-economic and political challenges that had threatened the continued existence of the nation.
On his part, Prof Mohammed Al’Amin of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), called for the reorientation of the Muslim community with specific emphasis on parental responsibility.
Al’Amin said that some parents in parts of the country must learn to take greater responsibility in the development of their children.
He attributed the challenges of violence and moral decadence in the society partly on parental irresponsibility.
He said that most parents in the north had abdicated the responsibility of raising their children to foster parents.
Such foster parents, he said, often manipulated the culture, religion and belief of such vulnerable children to cause mayhem in society.
NAN reports that other religious leaders who attended the meeting include Primate of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, and leaders of the major blocs in CAN.
NAN also reports that Imam Mohammed Ashafa led other prominent Islamic clergy to the meeting.