Ahead of the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony, Week starting tomorrow, February 1, Muslims and Christians in Kaduna have planned to stage an endurance trek as a way of attaining religious harmony and tolerance in the state.The General Overseer of the Christ Intercessory Fellowship Church, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, Pastor Yohanna Buru, who announced this today, Tuesday in Kaduna said: “as the interfaith and harmony week commences, we are going to organize an endurance trek for Muslim and Christian clerics to create awareness on peaceful co-existence.
“We will also organize reading and writing competition among Muslims and Christians in schools and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to enhance understanding among youths.”
He said the Church would also donate prayer mats and plastic kettles to some Mosques to reciprocate the gesture and to foster peaceful co-existence.
This came just as a Muslim woman, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, who is a peace Ambassador, donated chairs to Church to boost inter-religious tolerance and harmony.
Hajiya Ramatu told newsmen that the donation was also aimed at promoting mutual respect and better understanding between Muslims and Christians in the state and the country in general.
She said that the World Interfaith Harmony Week was to promote peaceful religious co-existence and dialogue on peace, share love, unity and encourage togetherness, irrespective of faith.
She said that the week is part of efforts to strengthen inter- and intra-religious relationship toward preventing and countering violent extremism and promoting peace building, reconciliation and conflict transformation, which is part of events of the ceremony worldwide. She said that the week is also to celebrate the principles of tolerance and respect for one another which is deeply rooted in the world’s major religions.
Hajiya Ramatu said that the impact of ethno-religious and political crisis in Kaduna State some years ago claimed hundreds of lives and properties and damaged the hitherto peaceful co-existence enjoyed by the people.
She called for the creation of institutes of comparative studies in the country to promote better understanding, religious tolerance, forgiveness, reduce blasphemy tendencies and continuously preach peace and harmony between Muslims and Christians.
According to her, there are more than 6,000 religions in the world, most of which are different from the literate Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that many people think of when they hear the word “religion.”
“In order to make statements or generalizations about religion, the concept of religion, rather than a specific religion or group of religions, we need to engage in comparative study of religions so as to reduce ethno-religious attacks and blasphemy.”
The World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2010 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and unanimously adopted by the UN on October 20, 2010. Therefore, first week of February is being observed as World Interfaith Harmony Week. [myad]
