Thousands of Muslims and Christians from throughout Nigeria and neighbouring African nations converged on the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina on Saturday for an interfaith prayer gathering geared toward selling nationwide unity, peaceable coexistence and credible elections forward of the 2027 common elections.
The gathering, organised by the Qur’aniya Believers Harmony for Peace Initiative, attracted distinguished Islamic students, Christian clerics and non secular teams and peace advocates from Nigeria, Chad, Cameron, Senegal and the Niger Republic.
The occasion, held amid grief over the killing of famend Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka, who championed the initiative, witnessed emotional tributes and renewed requires the federal government to research his homicide and convey these accountable to justice.
Participants, who started arriving on the stadium within the early hours of the day, supplied prayers in line with their respective spiritual traditions, looking for divine intervention towards insecurity, corruption, spiritual intolerance and political violence.
Among the distinguished personalities on the gathering had been Sheikh Nura Khalid, Sheikh Muhammad Usman Damgugu, Aliyu Yusuf from Kaduna, representatives of the Qadiriyyah motion, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders , former minister of sport, Solomon Dalong, and different Islamic students.
Speaking on the occasion, the secretary of the initiative, Mustapha Haruna, expressed appreciation to contributors for honouring the invitation regardless of the tragic killing of the motion’s chief shortly earlier than the gathering.
Haruna stated the overwhelming attendance demonstrated that the imaginative and prescient of the late cleric for spiritual tolerance and peaceable coexistence remained alive.
“We are glad that you all came despite the demise of our leader, Sheikh Masussuka, who was killed before this important gathering,” he stated.
He prayed for the peaceable return of contributors to their respective locations and urged them to maintain the beliefs of unity and mutual respect championed by the deceased scholar.
The Katsina State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Father Richard Shaibu Liti, supplied prayers for an finish to insecurity, corruption and different challenges confronting the nation.
He additionally prayed for the emergence of credible, accountable and God-fearing leaders who would prioritise the welfare and safety of Nigerians.
In his remarks, Sheikh Alhasan Lamido described spiritual and ethnic variety as a part of God’s divine function, stressing that variations in religion, tribe or background ought to by no means change into grounds for hatred or violence.
“God did not make a mistake by creating human beings differently, irrespective of their tribes or religions,” he declared.
Lamido condemned the killing of Sheikh Masussuka, saying these behind the homicide had wrongly assumed that eliminating the cleric would convey his peace motion to an finish.
According to him, the large turnout on the gathering demonstrated that the beliefs of the deceased scholar had gained wider acceptance.
He urged Muslims and Christians to reject spiritual hostility, insisting that attacking each other within the identify of faith contradicted the teachings of their holy scriptures.
Similarly, Professor Danladi Yahya, who represented Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, described Masussuka’s killing as unjustifiable and an assault on the collective aspirations of individuals working in the direction of spiritual concord.
He stated the big attendance on the cleric’s funeral and Saturday’s interfaith gathering demonstrated that these answerable for his demise had didn’t extinguish his message.
Yahya predicted that the late scholar’s teachings and contributions to interfaith understanding would entice additional educational analysis and encourage future generations.
He maintained that the muse laid by Masussuka was sturdy sufficient to maintain the motion past his lifetime.
The professor additionally demanded an intensive investigation into the killing, stressing that justice for the deceased remained a collective accountability.
Also talking, distinguished Islamic cleric Sheikh Nura Khalid known as on the federal government and safety companies to research the homicide and be certain that the perpetrators had been arrested and prosecuted.
Khalid urged authorities to confront all types of insecurity, together with violence perpetrated by armed teams and inflammatory statements able to inciting spiritual hatred.
He burdened that people who promote violence by means of harmful rhetoric must also be held accountable.
The cleric supplied prayers for peaceable elections in 2027 and the emergence of leaders dedicated to justice, nationwide improvement and the safety of residents.
A Christian cleric, Apostle Bulus, described Masussuka as an distinctive advocate of non secular understanding whose affect had damaged longstanding limitations between Muslims and Christians.
He disclosed that the late scholar’s instance had impressed him to enter a mosque for the primary time throughout actions honouring the deceased.
“Because of Masussuka, I entered a mosque for the first time yesterday,” he stated.
Bulus expressed optimism that the cleric’s demise would additional strengthen the dedication of Nigerians to pursue peace and non secular tolerance.
“Masussuka has done a lot, and we will consolidate on what he started,” he added.
In one other tribute, Rev. Elisha Pam, representing Rev. Yohana Y. Buru, conveyed condolences to the household, followers and supporters of the late cleric.
He described the killing as a prison act that should not be given spiritual justification and known as on the federal government to establish and arrest these accountable.
Pam burdened that Nigerians had been destined to stay collectively regardless of their spiritual and ethnic variations, urging contributors to make interfaith dialogue a steady nationwide engagement.
“This gathering should not be the first and last. We must continue to come together as one people because God has brought us together as Nigerians,” he stated.
Representatives of the Qadiriyyah motion additionally pledged help for the peace initiative, emphasising the necessity for sustained cooperation amongst spiritual organisations to forestall violence and strengthen nationwide unity.
The gathering ended with prayers supplied by varied Muslim teams and Christian clerics for peace, nationwide stability, justice for the late Sheikh Masussuka and profitable democratic elections in 2027.
The occasion additional underscored rising dedication amongst spiritual leaders and followers to maintain Masussuka’s marketing campaign for interfaith concord, with contributors insisting that his demise should not mark the top of the motion he championed.
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