Nigeria, like most countries in the world is a pluralistic society; we are a multi-ethic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country. This, if harnessed as other countries have, should be a great plus, and a great tool for development.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case; our plurality seems to be our Achilles heel. We are perpetually plagued by religious and ethnic conflicts. Christians and Muslims are always trading insinuations about attempts to incorporate their respective religious beliefs into the constitution. This rivalry often moves from mere accusations to violent conflicts that claims lots of lives and property.
Recognising our religious diversity, the Constitution of Nigeria in Section 10, provides for religious neutrality, forbidding both the Federal and State Government from adopting any religion as a state religion. The section stands in between two extremes of religious favouritism and hostility. Still, religious groups mistrust each other.
Precisely because it is our Achilles heel, elites of both major religious groups normally exploit it to cause division. Unfortunately, when the damage is done, it is not the elite that suffer but their misguided followers.
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This divisional antic came to fore once again in September, when the Federal Government in its bid to raise funds, issued the N100 billion Sukuk Bond. Almost immediately, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in a statement by the General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, said the issuance of the bond was an attempt to Islamise the country through the back door. This statement, apart from being false, merely sought –as always– to widen the line between Muslims and Christians. This is really unnecessary. More importantly, the statement ridicules the leaders of CAN; it exposed their ignorance of the subject matter and their mental laziness. What would it have cost to either conduct a research or consult experts?
If they had conducted a little research, they would have realised that Sukuk Bond is inspired by the ethics of Islam, just the same way, homes for the elderly and hospitals are inspired by the Christian faith, and the aim is not to forcefully convert those who use these services. A little search online would have shown them that countries with Christian roots like the United Kingdom and Germany have successfully issued Sukuk bonds.
Also in June, when the news came out that Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) had been put under the same umbrella with Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) (the same way Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa are under a similar umbrella). Many Church leaders without investigating properly alleged it was another attempt to Islamise the country.
It seems that CAN’s major objective is to concoct Islamisation attempts. They even talk more about Islam than they do about Christianity; just the same way some Christians call the devil’s name more than Jesus’ name.
John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishop of Abuja, has given the best answer to this Islamisation conspiracy theory. He said “So let nobody deceive you, I don’t think there is anybody who has plans to Islamise Nigeria, but even if they do, they have every right to do so. They have every right to do so provided they also know that I have the right to Christianise the whole of Nigeria. The answer is not in complaining and crying; stand up like a man and Christianise Nigeria”. Continuing, He added “People complain that Christianity is being persecuted; they are saying that some people want to Islamise the nation. Just know that nobody can Islamise you unless you agree to be Islamised. For as long as you are not ready to stand up and carry the Cross, you are on the verge of losing your faith; if you don’t want to lose your promotion for Christ sake, you are also not worthy to be a Christian”
In a similar vein, the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Most Reverend (Dr) Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, has also said that there is no problem if the Muslims have an agenda to Islamise Nigeria. He said the Christians also have an agenda to Christianise Nigeria, but the only problem is that we are not pursuing it.
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He said “Nigeria, for many, many years, had a larger number of Christians in power. We failed when we should have worked, and that even now, instead of trying to catch up on our lapses, we’re busy pointing fingers. It’s part of Islam to Islamise; is it not part of our own programme too to evangelise? How much of it are we doing? The education curriculum, which caused so much row recently, was approved when a Christian was chair of the body. Christians are not an insignificant population in Nigeria. The next question to ask is: what kind of Christians? A large part of Christians today are Christians in name, who pursue power, position, privileges. That is not Christianity”.
When one reads the words of the Cardinal and the Bishop, a person with an objective mind can clearly identify both the problem and the solution.
The spread of any faith is a prerogative of all religions, indeed if they do not “evangelise”, not only would their growth and existence be threatened, it would also show that they do not love their religion.
It is not in doubt that the Muslims are increasing largely in their numbers around the world, notably in Europe which was once a Christian continent. The reasons are clear, Muslims stand for their faith, they are proud of their faith and they do not compromise on their teachings etc. For example, Muslims hold dear the issue of procreation, even though sometimes they can go to the extreme of having children that they cannot cater for. But they have the numbers, which is why they are growing and spreading. This is very notable in Europe, where many Christians, thanks to materialism and contraception, prefer not to be generous with God by having large families. Many prefer two children, if any, and a pet. They fall into another extreme: using material comfort as an excuse for the small size of their families. If this selfishness is not remedied the future of Christianity on the continent is not guaranteed.
For Christians, the message is clear, let us not be deceived or distracted by thinking that our major and direct mission is to fight Islamisation. To fall for that, is already a sign that we do not know our mission. Our mission is to love our faith and follow Jesus Christ squarely with no compromises. When we do not practice and promote our faith, we are merely ‘de-christianizing’ ourselves, thereby creating a vacuum to be filled. And nature abhors vacuums.
Joshua Benedict Nwachukwu Esq
