BY Ebuka Nwankwo
Apart from corruption and tribalism, the wrong application and interpretation of the tenets of religion is our biggest problem. Some Christians believe that Christianity is the only way to God, while some Muslims believe that Islam is the only way to God as well. Whatever you are going to believe in Nigeria is dependent on where you are born and who your parents are, and nothing else, as it were.
If you are born in the South to a Christian family, you might argue that Jesus is the way and no one can come into the Kingdom except through him. On the other hand if you were born in the North to a Muslim family, you might argue that Islam is the true religion. For me, I am not sure I would have been a Christian if I wasn’t born in the South and to a Christian family. Before I forget, the fundamental aim of this piece is to sue for peace in Nigeria and in the world.
Education (mostly a low quality one), sometimes, increases the aggressiveness of the people who ferment trouble with religion. The current Muslim mayor of London apparently saw hell during the campaigns. A Tory chieftain was so embarrassed with the divisive campaigns during the electioneering process. Still what Sadiq Khan saw in London was child’s play compared to what former President Jonathan saw in the North or what President Buhari saw in the South during the last presidential elections in Nigeria.
As the most influential Muslim politician in Europe, I think every well-meaning citizen of the world would expect Sadiq Khan to teach the world. Recently, an economics professor was interrogated in a plane while doing some differential equations on board. Apparently, someone thought he was writing ‘some terrorist notes’ onboard. In a similar scenario, an Iraqi student overheard talking to his uncle in Arabic was removed from a Southwest Airline flight. This is what the world has turned into, and you wouldn’t blame those who are now stereotyped. Some minute group of people caused this problem for the Muslim world. For now, Sadiq Khan is changing the world. One of his initial public function was celebrated with the Jews in London.
Some very educated do not help matters. Some emergency historians have decided to educate us on the herdsmen vandalism. They see it as a quest by the Fulani to take over or Islamize Nigeria – just as the Jihadist took over some territories, they claim. Even if this is true, all major religions have some past history which they are ashamed of. These historians are not interested in reading up verses in the Quaran which says that there should be no compulsion in religion. Some were quick to attribute Cardinal Onaiyekan’s attack to Fulani herdsmen. Thank God the Catholic cardinal has clarified issues and has asked people who are fanning the embers of hate to desist from doing so.
Don’t get me wrong here, I am not trying to justify the wanton destruction caused by some herdsmen. The point I am trying to make is that if this issue is not well-managed it could snowball into an ethnic and religious war.
Some intellectuals, who apparently do not care if their comments could irritate a particular group of decent people, are quick to attribute the world Jihad to terrorism, without really thinking of the context the word was used. For me, as a non-Muslim, it makes a lot of sense to view Jihad as a struggle or fight between the flesh and the spirit. In spirituality, there is always this inner struggle between the spirit and the flesh.
The wrong interpretation of the tenets of religion is actually an impediment to our development. Just last week, in response to the controversial insurance levy introduced in Unity Schools, someone said that Islam was against the purchase of a life insurance. This kind of thinking is applicable to some Christians as well. I bet you, the day some pastors tell their congregation that they are thinking of insuring their church building would be the day they would lose their congregation. Such action might be seen as a sign of faithlessness.
Archbishop Kukah’s latest intervention on religion is thought-provoking. The catholic bishop reminded us that religion has been the cause of most violence in the North. We cannot develop if the National Orientation Agency (NOA) does not take on the issue of religion in Nigeria, head-on.
Quality Education should be one of the tools the NOA should adopt, or propagate, in reorienting the populace. A recent publication by the Punch newspaper that bookshops, in Nigeria, have been displaced by beer parlours and boutiques shows the state of our educational system.
To the people fermenting trouble, it doesn’t matter to them that people of all faith have reasons to believe that their prayers earned them some miracle. For example, the present owner of Leicester City FC and some Thais believe Buddha was responsible for the club’s victory in the just concluded English Premier League. For me as a Christian, I have also seen miracles in my life that I can attribute to Jesus.
Personally, I am overjoyed that London has given a Muslim politician a chance- a big chance – how Khan uses this chance will determine the future of Muslim politicians in Europe. I strongly believe Sadiq Khan would be the voice of reason and that most of us would be able look up to him to correct some misconceptions.