Deborah’s Death: We Must Not Give Up On Struggle For Interreligious Harmony — Kaigama

THE Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace Most Revd Ignatius Kaigama, on Sunday, urged Nigerians not to give up on the struggle for interreligious harmony in the country.

According to him, those who attempt to gain selfish advantages without respect for rights or ethics, and through forms of extremism must be opposed

Kaigama said this during his homily at St. Louis Church, Efab Global Estate Abuja, against the backdrop of last week’s murder of Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.

The cleric said Nigerians should not give up on the pursuit of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence, but “must continue to speak up in a common voice and act in solidarity with one another against the evils of our time.”

He said, “Last Thursday, May 12, while we were at the maiden National Conference on Interreligious Dialogue, on “Rethinking Interfaith, Cultural, Ecumenical and Religious Dialogue In Nigeria’s Pluralistic Context,” held at Veritas University, Abuja, to collectively seek further ways of enhancing religious harmony and peaceful co-existence, we were saddened by the news of the attack and gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, accused of religious blasphemy.

“There are commendably many Christians and Muslims speaking out in condemnation of the dastardly act of killing a human being in the name of religion.

“In condemning the act and dissociating it from the true practice of Islam, one Muslim mentioned and I quote him, ‘love is the first religion’.

“Together, we must not give up on the struggle, to continue to bridge the gap that keeps us far apart because of religious bias, ethnic rivalry and other artificial categorizations. We must not allow our religious values to be redefined by fanatics, criminal and dubious elements of society.

“Religions means to wish others well, to show compassion, mutual support and cooperation for what sues for peace, justice and equity. Love is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, rich in mercy and reaches out to all.

“Our love for one another challenges us to break down the walls of enmity, hatred, apathy, disunity, segregation and strife that have torn families, communities, races, and nations apart.”

The Archbishop also said that love for religion, politics, and culture or for whatever cause must never make any Nigerian take the life of another person.

“There can be no true religion without love and there can be no genuinely religious person without the practice of true love. We, who call ourselves religious, must wear the ‘garment of love’,” he added.