Group Decries Burning of Churches, Mosques During Unrest

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

A joint Christian and Muslim group under the auspices of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) has decried incessant destruction and desecration of religious buildings and holy sites during conflicts across the country.

Co-Chairman of the group, Alhaji Kunle Ishaq, said during a meeting of the group in Abuja sthat about 13,000 churches and 25,000 mosques had been destroyed or partly damaged as at the last count

The workshop on Protection of Holy sites organized by (IDFP) was organised in collaboration with the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID).

Ishaq noted that both Christian and Muslim communities are facing the problems of incessant killings, maiming and general insecurity in the country which has cascaded to the destruction of places of worship with the people inside them adding that some bad elements do not care if the whole world go into flames.

He said, “The real Muslims and Christians are now joining to protect these monuments adding that in so many areas like Kaduna, Kano and Maiduguri, Muslims go to churches to ensure that churches are not burnt just as Christians do same to their Muslim counterparts.

We are succeeding in allowing Muslims know that Christians are their brothers, we are succeeding in allowing Christians know that Muslims are not their enemies. We need to protect our holy places. “

Also speaking, Co-Chairman of the Forum, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said this freedom is violated when people desecrate worship centres and waste human lives amidst collateral damage.

“Globally we are seeing a rising wave of religious intolerance which has led to hate-based violence targeting worshippers of different faiths and many Muslims have been gunned down in mosques with their religious sites vandalised and many Christians killed at prayer and their churches burnt down. In the face of these unspeakable tragedies, our cultural heritage has been affected because for most people, their religious beliefs and form of worship are their core identification and heritage.”

Onuoha suggested that the best way to promote the protection of Holy sites is by Christians and Muslims uniting their voices for good, countering massages of hate with massages of peace, embracing diversity and protecting human rights everywhere.

Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi