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Islam And Christianity - Sharing More Than We Care to Notice
Dec 15, 2008 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
Jos, Plateu State has been in the news again.This time around not on any N100 million spent on any illusive term of office, or a certain N2 billoion official claimed was spent to secure victory for the PDP in the last gubernatorial election. But it is jealously guard and consolidate on a well deserved reputation for being the most crises prone state in the federation, whether it is political religious or ethnic driven.
Like most states in Nigeria, Islam and Christianity have faithfuls with Christians being the majority. In fact, the only local government known to have a sizeable population of Muslims is the Jos North local government, the venue and the host of the recent ethnic and religious clash.
The recent crises, as we all know, was sparked off by not just the dispute over the control of the Jos North Local Government, by large, a crises caused by a simple ethnic and religious xenophobia.
Let us all pause, reflect and make some educated assumptions, judging by the history of all the previous crises. Would there have been any dispute, if the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate that was leading comfortably had been a Christian even though not a native? No! Would there have been any fight if, Aminu Baba of the ANPP even, though a Muslim, had been a native? The answer is a resounding No. This should bring us to the conclusion that, the crises was as much a religious, ethnic and a political one because the PDP to a large extent, should be held responsible for the crises in Jos. The typical PDP attitude played out in the Local Government Elections. PDP must win all the Local Government Areas, just as it did in other states controlled by the party.
Now, back to the topic of my article, i.e. Islamic and Christianity: Sharing more than we care to notice and appreciate. Islam and Christianity are the two major religions practised in Nigeria. The article will not talk about the population of the faithfuls or which religion outnumbers the other.
What I'm saying is, Islam and Christianity have so many things in common that ordinarily should bond us together, make us good friends and neighbours of one another. But No. Muslims and Christians have always behaved in ways that can hardly pass the moral, ethnical and spiritual tests of the both religions they profess to practise. Killing and bloodletting, especially in the name of politics, which has become the norm of the day is at variance with the creed of both religions. Islam, for one, I know means peace and would, therefore, have nothing to do with what ever contrasts its meaning. Christianity, on the other hand, means worshipping God through Christ.
Before one is certified to be a Muslim, he must believe in Allah and Prophet Muhammad as the messenger of Allah. Before one becomes a certified Christian, he must accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. This means faithfuls of both religions must accept and profess allegiance to either Allah and prophet Muhammad or Jesus Christ.
Christians belief and accept the Bible as the Holy Scripture; Muslims have the Holy Qur'an as the Holy Scripture. Muslims recite, preached and should obey the holy Quran the same way Christians read, preach and should obey the Holy Bible.
Muslims perform ablution before saying any of the five daily prayers. Christians, and Jerusalem pilgrims will tell you, perform their own form of ablution before entering the church Jesus Christ worshipped is in Jerusalem. Muslims go to hajj on pilgrimage the same way Christians go to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.
Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan, Christians fast yearly during the lenting period in April.
Muslim females are enjoined to dress properly, the use veil to cover their heads. Christians and especially the Catholics use scarf and cover their heads with a veil also though not as long as the one used by Muslim women.
Muslims praise Allah with the tasbeeh, Catholic Christians say their hail Mary with the chaplet or rosary as the case may be. What ever evil Islam condemns, Christianity condemns too. What ever good Christianity preaches Islam preaches too. Christians celebrate Christmas yearly the same way Muslims mark the Eidel Fitir and Kabir celebration yearly. There are plenty things we have in common that ordinarily should make us good friends and neighbours and not the enemies. But we kill ourselves in the slightest provocations in the name of the God. We turn and commit all kinds of sins against ourselves.
God wouldn't require anyone to kill for him; he has innumerable ways to do that if he wants to. We kill in the name of our religions and we don't uphold and practice the creeds and teachings of both religions. If we do, we will never have needed to kill each other, especially for political reasons. We claim to kill for God and then turn to commit all the sins both religions condemn or preach against. Who are we deceiving? God or ourselves? The same God we kill for is the same God we sin against. The very politicians we kill for are the same people who don't remember the promises they made while campaigning, not to talk of fulfilling them.
To prevent the reoccurrence of such crises in the future, government must address the issue 'indingeneship and settlership.It must be spelt-out in clear terms, whether people will continue to remain settlers after living in a place all their lives. It should also be clarified if PDP must win all elections because the problem of this country is not just ethnic xenophobia and religious intolerance, but the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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