By Sadiq Abdulfatah

JIBWIS National Chairman, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, has called on Muslims and Christians in Nigeria to respect their religious differences and work together to safeguard the country.

Bala Lau made the appeal on Friday at the Abuja International Airport following the departure of the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa.

The two men had attended a two-day international conference on diversity and social peace organised by JIBWIS in partnership with the Muslim World League.

Themed “Diversity and Social Peace: A Partnership for a Promising Future,” the conference focused on strengthening peace, harmony and stability in Nigeria, West Africa and the wider African region.

Bala Lau said religious diversity should not stand in the way of Nigerians working towards shared national interests, stressing that both Muslims and Christians have a stake in the country.

“Despite our diversity, we have our common goal. We have a common goal to ensure that we live in peace and harmony. You do your religion, I do my own religion. There is no compulsion in religion,” he said.

He also called for mutual respect among followers of different faiths, saying no religious group should seek to exclude another from Nigeria.

“What do we do? We have to respect our religion. You respect my religion, I respect your religion. And we protect our country. The country belongs to us,” he said.

The JIBWIS leader urged Nigerians to draw from the example of Prophet Muhammad, who, according to him, maintained peaceful relations with people of other faiths in Medina.

Bala Lau also disclosed plans to follow through on the communique adopted at the conference, saying its recommendations would be implemented rather than left as written commitments.

He said JIBWIS and the Muslim World League would establish a joint forum to monitor the implementation of the resolutions.

“We are religious leaders and spiritual leaders. We have to abide by what we say. We have to implement what we say so that people can copy from us,” he said.

Earlier, Al-Issa called on Nigerians to reject extremism and efforts to exploit religion, ethnicity or poverty as tools for division.

He described diversity as part of God’s creation and said attempts to erase it through violence and conflict would not succeed.

The conference ended with religious leaders from different faiths and sects across the region signing the Abuja Declaration.

The declaration outlined a joint action plan involving government institutions, Muslim and Christian leaders and civil society organisations.

It also called for broader academic, training and media initiatives to address threats to peace, coexistence and social stability, as well as stronger cooperation in conflict prevention and the protection of Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity.

A coordinating body comprising religious and civic leaders and institutions in West Africa was also established to oversee implementation of the action plan and assess its progress periodically.

Source: Daily Trust