FAITH EXPRESS: ATTENTION TO CHURCH TIMES,SHOW RESTRAINT PLEASE!!!

FAITH EXPRESS: ATTENTION TO CHURCH TIMES,SHOW RESTRAINT PLEASE!!!

A copy of The Church Times Newspapers publications of August,2018 Pages 17 and Pages 18Part One of a special editorial serial now domiciled in the library and museum of the E.N.M.Paedia Express Multimedia Group of Lagos,Nigeria and the E.N.M.Paedia Express Trust will sure stoke tensions especially in the extreme Northern blocks of Kebbi,Zamfara,Katsina,Kano,Bauchi,Sokoto,Gombe,Jigawa amongst others.

At a time like this ,with the nation battling insurgency created by Boko Haram and the Fulani Herdsmen strikes,we can ill afford another situation as our military resources are quite stretched to the limits.

A clergy whose names will be with held for security reasons said .........................................................................................................................and we will not  be quoting.

While we think that it is right  for the clergy to share his stories ,we also think that it was poor or lack of education and discretion that made him to act in a manner as to denigrating the sacred text of Islam:The Holy Quran publicly.

He was in his rights to change his faith if he wanted to but he was very wrong to act in the manner he did against a copy of the Islamic Holy book.

We at The Editorial and Policy Board of the E.N.M.Paedia Express Multimedia Group have read and observed his anger about how a certain Islamic scholar by names Yusuf Adepoju who owns 17 audio cassettes with which he discredits Christainity has been a social menace but two wrongs never make a right do they?

The fact is that what was fashionable ,say 100 years ago is now seen as a crime due to a new wave of civilization  as result of varying circumstance providing all sorts of challenge to previously perceived world view .

Yesterday ,when all the faiths were evolving  maybe it was fashionable to engage in what was then called the crusades  but which Islam called Jihad  but today due to several socio-cultural situations this facts in virtually all the faiths  are now being called to question by some of the greatest thinkers and human right advocates.

we urge  Islamic clerics like Alfa Yusuf Adepoju to dwell on the portions of the Holy Quran that fosters unity or cohesion  while glossing over the other signifying hate for peace to reign in our various communities.

At the time the portions preaching hate were compiled ,we do believe to the best of our human understanding that it was done to address the immediate problems of that age.

But many years after this ,lack of proper understanding of holy texts had meant that a lot of extremists on either sides of the divide have continued to use them as a tool for fire-bomb

If Islam says that there shall be no compulsion in religion that is what it means and there has been no contradiction in this for over 1,500 years since this holy Texts were released to The Holy Prophet Muhammed [P.B.U.H],so anyone doing anything to the contrary is on his own journey.

All religious adherents irrespective of reservations for each other's mode of worship and belief systems should learn to live harmoniously with one another while at the same time respecting each other  as Nigeria has witnessed too many bloodshed on account of sectarian violence.

We call on the National Orientation Agency [N.O.A]to do the needful by helping to educate and integrate the people of various cultures and faith.

This they can achieve by holding sessions and seminars with Emirs in the North,chieftaincy title holders in the North and regularly sending field inspectors on at least 1/4 basis to the old walled cities of Kano,Zaria,Katsina,Dutse,Bauchi,Gombe,Sokoto,Birnin Kebbi,Argungu,Daura,Ilorin,Minna amongst other places in the North on the importance of religious harmony for national cohesion.

Religious extremism under any form or guise will no longer be tolerated across all the divides whether the faith is in majority or in the minority.