By Godwin Utuedoye, Warri
KADUNA:- Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), on January 1, 2019 joined their Christian counterparts in the Northern region to celebrate the New Year church service in Zaria, Kaduna State in order to strengthen the inter-religious harmony and enhance national unity.
The group attended the service at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Commenting on behalf of the group, the leader of the delegation, Prof. Isa Mshelgaru of the Building Department, Faculty of Environmental Design, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, said the visit was to strengthen the relationship between the Muslim and the Christian faith.
Mshelgaru said the visit was meant to further boost the bond of relationship between the followers of two faiths toward fostering national unity.
He observed that going by the tenets of the two major religions in Nigeria, none of the two religion preached violence, but that both preached peace, love, unity, and joy.
The University don further described Christians as the closest people and religion to Islam, but lamented the division and hatred being spread by selfish politicians who hide under religion to achieve personal gains.
He said, “Killing one another is an imaginary life; in the actual sense it doesn’t exist; we are all created by one God, we must, therefore, endeavor to live together in peace with one another”.
Our leaders should share joy, happiness, and sorrows together just as our leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky said; we should learn to live together in peace.
“When we are united as Nigerians, nothing will break us apart and nothing will go against the peace of the nation, not even Boko Haram nor militants or any other thing else.”
Responding, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Michael Ibrahim-Bazai, who was so elated expressed appreciation for the visit, describing it as the first of its kind.
He said: “We are happy to receive our brothers and sisters from the Islamic faith here in our Church to celebrate with us today on 1st January 2019″.
He noted that though it is true that sometimes we are scared of each other, but it is because some of us are ignorant of the religion but we are all one. Rev. Fr. Ibrahim-Bazai further stressed the need for followers of the two religious body to always practise their religion according to its tenets to pave way for a peaceful and harmonious relationship.