The Muslim Congress said on Saturday in Abuja that the current insecurity in the country would be a forgone issue when Nigerians uphold the principles of peaceful coexistence.
Iman Luqman Abdurraheem, the amir of the congress, said this while delivering a lecture entitled, “Peaceful Coexistence: the Islamic Perspective’’ at a special annual lecture to mark the nation’s independence anniversary.
Abdurraheem said that peaceful coexistence would be sustained in Nigeria when its citizens realised the need for deep conviction that peaceful coexistence is non-negotiable in a plural society.
He said that establishing a peaceful society “is a must and hence the need to entrench peace in all communities’’.
The imam said that the government should educate the populace, using sermons, on the ethics of peace, adding that there was a need to forge interfaith harmony.
He said that “Islam is not a religion of violence and thus, does not reckon with those who kill and destroy people of other religions’’ in the name of cleansing or fighting for Allah.
“Peaceful coexistence is a concept widely acknowledged by Islam and its ideological proponents as tools for achieving communal harmony; enduring tolerance among diverse interest groups should be upheld.
“It helped the Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), in the building of the model state of “Madinah, the city of light.
“If the principles of peaceful coexistence, as taught by Islam, are exemplified by modern Muslims in their various communities and organisations, they would be better appreciated and respected,” he said.
Abdurraheem? said that in the good old days, terrorism and unnecessary wars were avoided because of mutual respect and love for fellow human beings .
“But the reverse is the case now because communities and individuals have refused to show love and respect for the ideological world views and religious inclinations of other people.’’
He urged Nigerians to believe the Qur’an’s teaching that all religions sprung up from the same source, and the places of all worship must be respected; that way, respect for one another would be established.
“Allah commands that it is not permitted to murder one another or oppress any one on account of differences in faith; rather all religious groups ought to cooperate with one another in promoting the cause of good and eradication of evil in the society.’’
Dr? Zabaran Adeniyi, Director, Vanguard Academy, said in his lecture entitled, “Corruption and its Solutions’’ that Nigeria needed to overcome corruption squabbles to be able to lead Africa.
Adeniyi said greediness was the reason for corruption, adding that Nigerians had to do away with individualism to work for the nation selflessly, knowing that they are all accountable to God.
The Waali of the Muslim Congress, Abdulhakim Raji said the lecture was aimed at enlightening Nigerians about the state of the nation while charting a road map for future.
Raji said that there was a need for urgent transformation and attitudinal change of the nation and its people because the loss that corruption and lack of peaceful coexistence had created was colossal and incalculable.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for this year’s lecture was “That our nation may be peaceful’’.?