AN association of Muslim men in business and the professions, The Companion, has described as hateful and a display of religious bigotry comments credited to a leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend John Hayab, on President Muhammadu Buhari’s reference to his encounter with the United States president, Donald Trump, a few years ago.
The CAN leader was quoted as saying that Buhari’s response to a question asked by Trump – that the killing of Christians in Nigeria was cultural, and not religious – was weak and another confirmation that the present administration does not care about the carnage in the country.
The Companion, in a statement signed by its amir (president), Lagos district, Alhaji Abdul-Ghani Abdul Majeed, and the public affairs secretary, Mr Tajudeen Akolade, said: “Such a declaration could only come from a biased religious leader. Who does not know that the crisis painted sectarian in a part of Kaduna (Southern Kaduna), for instance, had been recurring before the present administration and largely was caused by the differences between the natives and settlers?
“The CAN head also shocked our organisation when he cited cases of the suspected bandits and massacre in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Birnin Gwari, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau. For all the killings that have occurred in the mentioned states, the truth of the matter is that the gunmen kill both Christians and Muslims.
“It is therefore utterly misleading to say that only Christians were the target, or to fault the response that the crisis was “cultural” and not religious.
“Was the CAN leader expecting President Buhari to admit to a carnage he never committed? Perhaps Reverend Hayab would have been happy if President Buhari had responded to Trump by saying, ‘Yes, I am responsible for the killing of Christians in Nigeria’.
“It should be noted that Reverend Hayab is not alone in this tendency by Christian clerics to always pitch Christians and Muslims in the country.
“Our group, therefore, submits that CAN leaders must always exercise restraint; moderate their emotion; shun religious bigotry and embrace the true spirit of love, as well as peaceful coexistence with others.
“Reverend Hayab’s statement, we reiterate, was inflammatory and could further sow the seed of discord among the Christian and Muslim faithful.
“We, therefore, admonish that Christian leaders should have a rethink and always be mindful of their outburst and its effects on the public.
“It is a disservice to God and humanity to always attempt paint Muslims as enemies of Christians and vice versa.”
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