The growing spate of crises and killings across the nation with most attributed to religious supremacy may have opened a new vista of opportunity with Scholars and other stakeholders converging in Owerri towards finding lasting solution.
The programme with the theme: Workshop and Launch of Faiths for Peace and Integration(FPND) came as part of Tetfund/National Research Foundation 2020 cycle and held at Imo State University targeted at building better understanding among citizen on the place of interfaith towards peaceful co-existence and progress of our nation.
Declaring the Workshop open,the Vice Chancellor of Imo State University as represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor,Rev.fr (Prof)Ogbonna commended the efforts stating that the outcome would help open greater dialogue across the nation aside the opportunities that comes with same.
He expressed delight on the array of Speakers lined up including participants drawn from across faith towards building consensus on nation building.
Also the Dean of Faculty of Humanities,Prof Martin Nwankwo maintained that Interfaith dialogue is of interest presently realizing the challenges facing the nation.
According to Prof Mrs Hope Amolo of the Department of Religious Studies,Imo state University,Owerri who in her paper on the History of Interfaith in Imo State traced it to the efforts of Muslim/Christian Youth Dialogue Forum which later got registered as Interfaith Mediation Center.
She stated that Interfaith dialogue seeks to create cooperative interaction between people of different religions, faiths or Spiritual beliefs with the aim of promoting understanding and mutual respect and tolerance among adherents.
As a way to to mitigating the challenges associated with religious diversity,Prof Amolo enjoins the citizen to learn the fundamental teachings of various religion including working at promoting mutual respect and love for the other religion.
She emphasised imbibing Spirit of forgiveness,avoiding criticism of other peoples believe and value, running away from prejudice and misrepresentations and realising that we were created to fulfill purpose making the building of great nation possible.
The duo of Dr Julius Sunday Adekoya and Dr Mubarak Noibi took the participants through the fundamentals of Christianity and Islamic faith respectively while calling on the adherents to maximise the similarities to build a nation where love as preached by Jesus Christ and peace as espoused by the Islam leads to development of humanity and nation.
Earlier,Dr Okolanwo in his presentation outlined the various drivers of Inter-religious Conflict in Nigeria to include Supremacy ethos, Miss-interpretation and Miss-representation of text,abuse of Religious space,poverty and ignorance, and lack of mutual respect among adherents and called for greater tolerance towards peaceful co-existence of the people.
Speaking also, His Royal Highness,Oba Oladeji Musbau, of the Yoruba Community in Imo State stated that tolerance would help each group accept the others faith as worth being practised.
The Workshop with participants drawn 25 students each from the Christian and Islamic faith aside some invited guests like the Imam of Imo State Police Command, Bar Ibrahim and his counterpart,Pastor in charge of the command’s Chaplaincy and others.
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