Christians and Muslims in Plateau State came together to pray for peace and unity in Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole as the first Interfaith Prayer Summit was organised in Jos by Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre, on Thursday 30thAugust 2018.
The Prayer Summit had in attendance representatives of the Plateau State Government led by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonny Tyoden, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos and his Anglican counterpart, the Emir of Wase, the Deputy Chief Imam of Jos, State Chairmen of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasir Islam (JNI), Security Chiefs on the Plateau, Paramount Rulers, Youth Leaders, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and members of the general public
Speaking at the opening of the Summit, Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama noted said: “We are here at the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre, Jos, for an interfaith prayer session involving Muslims and Christians; to lift up our hands in supplication to God Almighty and Creator for greater peace and harmonious coexistence among all the people of Plateau State and indeed Nigeria. This event as far as I can recall is the first in recent times, namely, that Christians and Muslims are coming together to jointly ask for God’s blessings as well as His forgiveness for the social, political, ethnic and religious conflicts witnessed in our state.”
“We are all agreed that the sanctity of human life has been violated by the killings witnessed at different times and in different places in our peaceful Plateau state. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, means of livelihood ravished and internally displaced people found in camps or on the street. The greatest casualty is our, mutual trust. Due to lack of genuine trust between some ethnic communities as well as between Christians and Muslims in the state, settlement has been polarized; suspicion heightened and appears to dominate our interpersonal relationship.”
“We need healing of our self-inflicted wound, and we need God to help us out of this predicament since we have realized that guns, cutlasses, bows and arrows, spears, charms, etc. cannot bring peace. Government, no matter its good intentions cannot decree peace or harmonious coexistence. The security agents no matter how they flood the streets or bushes armed with sophisticated weapons cannot bring about peace until we all decide freely from the depths if our hearts that we truly want to live together in peace as brothers and sisters created by God.”
He called on Christians, Muslims and other faith/spiritual expressions to avoid offending one another and stop competing for supremacy so as to construct the much-needed peace which will naturally be followed by progress.
In his remark, the Deputy Governor of Plateau State Prof. Sonni Tyoden urged all to be peace vendors as peace on the Plateau depends on us all. He said, “not until we decide to live freely together, peace will continue to elude us.”
Goodwill messages were also received from the State CAN Chairman, Rev. Soja Bewarang, the Emir of Wase, Dr. Muhammed Sambo Haruna, the Special Task Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Agundu, the Police Commissioner and other traditional and religious leaders present.
The summit also featured individual prayers led by Christian and Muslim clerics as well as drama and dance presentations from selected youths and school children.
The agreed and collective prayer composed and said by all present at the summit and the opening speech of Archbishop Kaigama reads as follows:
INTERFAITH PRAYER: (MUSLIM/CHRISTIAN)
O God, you are the Creator and Source of life.
Praised be your name forever.
We the people of Plateau State strongly affirm the sanctity and sacredness of the life, which you have given us.
O Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have erred or sinned, the consequence which led to destruction of lives and property.
The beautiful and fertile land of Plateau, the land of peace and tourism, and a miniature Nigeria has suffered violence.
Hatred and selfishness have injured our common humanity.
Lord our Creator, we beg for forgiveness for our sin against you.
We know it is You who turn our minds to thoughts of peace.
Hear our prayers and keep us safe.
Help us to speak and relate to one another with love and kindness, and to join hands in friendship.
Strengthen our collective resolve as Plateau citizens to forgive one another, and give witness to the truth of our common humanity and bond.
Give us O Merciful Lord;
Understanding that puts an end to strife;
Mercy that quenches the fire of hatred and,
Forgiveness that overcomes the hunger of vengeance:
Help our land.
Heal our people and heal our souls.
Amen!
...............................
Jointly composed by Christians and Muslims and used for the first time at the Interfaith prayer meeting in the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre, Jos,
©30th August 2018
INTERFAITH (MUSLIM/CHRISTIAN) PRAYER SESSION AT THE DIALOGUE, RECONCILIATION AND PEACE (DREP) CENTRE, JOS, 30THAUGUST 2018
OPENING REMARKS BY ARCHBISHOP IGNATIUS KAIGAMA.
Instead of the usual long and formal protocol, please permit me to simply address you as brothers and sisters.
We are here at the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre, Jos, for an interfaith prayer session involving Muslims and Christians; to lift up our hands in supplication to God Almighty and Creator for greater peace and harmonious coexistence among all the people of Plateau State and indeed Nigeria. This event as far as I can recall is the first in recent times, namely, that Christians and Muslims are coming together to jointly ask for God’s blessings as well as His forgiveness for the social , political, ethnic and religious conflicts witnessed in our state.
We are all agreed that the sanctity of human life has been violated by the killing s witnessed at different times and in different places in our peaceful Plateau state. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, means of livelihood ravished and internally displaced people found in camps or on the street. The greatest casualty is our, mutual trust. Due to lack of genuine trust between some ethnic communities as well as between Christians and Muslims in the state, settlement has been polarized, suspicion heightened and appears to dominate our interpersonal relationship. We need healing of our self-inflicted wound, and we need God to help us out of this predicament since we have realized that guns, cutlasses, bows and arrows, spears, charms, etc. cannot bring peace. Government, no matter its good intentions cannot decree peace or harmonious coexistence. The security agents no matter how they flood the streets or bushes armed with sophisticated weapons cannot bring about peace until we all decide freely from the depths if our hearts that we truly want to live together in peace as brothers and sisters created by God.
Even if we have different cultural values and religious modes of worship, we are still united by common humanity with God as its source. This is the message we must pass on in our families, schools and places of worship from generation to generation.
As communicated in the letter of invitation, the Dialogue, Reconciliation, and Peace Centre, has been engaging the community/religious leaders and the different stakeholders in the affected communities in Plateau State. During the last dialogue session of 5thJune 2018, the stakeholders agreed on the need for us to jointly seek divine intervention and so, an interfaith prayer session was agreed upon. I am happy that the day has come and we have turned out in good numbers.
This prayer gathering is to seek divine help in rebuilding the broken relationships and to promote reconciliation between communities affected by violence.
Today is no time for long speeches. It is a sober moment to bow our heads in fervent prayer and to confess that we have sinned before God and offended ourselves and planted the seeds of impatience, intolerance, distrust, disrespect, murder, etc. in our children and youths which we must uproot and replace with virtues of love, trust, peace, mercy, justice, respect for the sanctity of life, etc. we cannot achieve this on our own, hence, our gathering here together to plead for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
It is important to know that a short prayer has been jointly composed and endorsed by some Christian and Muslim leaders to be prayed jointly by all of us in the same manner we recite the national pledge or sing the national anthem, which we always do as one people irrespective of our cultural or religious differences.
I believe that it is by coming together more often, discussing, reflecting and praying together, visiting each other’s home and place of worship that religious misunderstanding and tension will substantially be reduced.
In the attempt to compose this prayer, it became for instance clearer that while we Christians call God father, Muslims are not allowed to call God father. In Islam we are servants of God and not children of God as Christians say and for Muslims we can sin against God only, but we offend one another.
The point I am making here is that if we Christians and Muslims understand ourselves better by closer interaction and collaboration, we avoid offending one another or competing for supremacy, and so we will be able to construct the much needed peace, and progress in every sense will be natural consequence.
May God hear our prayer for Plateau State and indeed Nigeria today and always. May He help us too to expose criminals among us even if they belong to our ethnic or religious groups because the activities have contributed in no small measure to the tension and conflict that are sometimes tagged religious.
It is our hope that Christians and Muslims will always genuinely unite to fight social vices and use the values of our respective religion to promote integral development in our state and our nation. The recent heroic example of Imam Abdullahi Yalwa in the Barkin Ladi area who at the risk of his life saved many Christians and Muslims in his mosque from being killed by attackers is a very good example of enlightened and God fearing behavior and a model of genuine Muslim/Christian collaboration.
Help us God with your peace and may we witness no more the destruction to lives and property in our dear Plateau State.
Amen.
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