MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA: FRIENDS OR ENEMIES? (1)

(This article tagged 'Muslims And Christians In Nigeria: Friends Forever' was published in 'Leadership' Newspaper on 4th March, 2015 and it was translated into Hausa and published in 'Aminiya', the Hausa version of 'Daily Trust' newspaper, on 25th Sep., 2015. It's tagged: 'Saqo Na Musamman Ga Musulmi Da Kiristan Najeriya',)

I was pretty pressured by my readers like Comrade Rabi’u Shamma and others that my delay to write was becoming unbearable. In response to their urging, I started brooding. Meanwhile, my attention was drawn to the Muslim / Christian relationship in the country, by my Christian bedridden friend who asked after me.

When this came to my knowledge, I rushed to his hospital where I found him in a critical condition. To my astonishment, he still called my name. I prayed for his quick recovery to which he murmured ‘amen!’, while clutching the Holy Bible on his chest. While I was busy looking at his wrinkled face in sympathy, he murmured to me that the muezzin was calling prayer and therefore I should go to mosque.

‘Pray for me in the mosque please!’ He managed to plead.

‘Ok, I will’.

‘Thanks’.

‘Don’t mention it, dear. I know as I am praying for you, you are here doing same with the Holy book on your chest'.

The sick person smiled and waved to me which I returned before closing the door behind me.

When I was coming out of the mosque, I met my friend Bilal. He expressed his joy for seeing me, and that, he had been trying to give me a buzz to arrange an appointment with me, but the Nigerian epileptic network was unhelpful. His reason was to come to my house, to tell me a full story of how a Christian brother found his bag containing an I Pad computer, Black Berry phone, two pocket sized Holly Qura’ans and N100, 000 notes, but returned it to him and even refused to collect a token. I was glad about that hence, asked that the two of us should just proceed to my house. Bilal welcomed the idea, but solicited that; I should first accompany him to pick up his wife Christie from church.

*** *** ***

On Friday evening, the eve of this year’s (2014) Eid-ul-Adha, in an ATM queue, a short queuerer who wanted to withdraw for the purchase of ram for sacrifice, had some troubles with the ATM and thus, the machine withheld his card.

‘ Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihirraji’un!’, (from Allah we are and unto Him we shall return!). Exclaimed the short man, and he continued.

‘Why...’

‘Complain not, my brother!’ interrupted a tall man wearing a cross chain around his neck.

The short man turned in anger, but when he saw the tall man’s face beaming a smile, he understood the situation and smiled back.

‘How much do you need for the ram?’

‘Thirty five thousand Naira or so’.

‘Ok, take the money’.

‘Thanks and how do I pay you back?’

‘You are welcome. If you don’t mind, take my phone number.’

*** *** ***

From my childhood experience, I can recall instances where my parents would pay school fees for the children of our Christians neighbours and during Eids, send me to take Eid food and meat to them, which they collected in excitement and even gave me a token. I can equally recall my father who would go to our Christian neighbours and seek advice which helped in solving many of our family travails.

I adhere to my religion Islam and do love and respect Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him). I know some Christians who also love and respect Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). As Christian brothers and sisters come to my home state: Kano, in pursuit of livelihood or education etcetera, so also my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters go to Anambra for the above mentioned pursuits. We are, undeniably, birds of a feather!’ Why must not we flock together? Nigerians of whatever religion, region or ethnicity are, beyond any reasonable doubt, brothers and sisters. Therefore, we should be the keepers of one another!

During this Eid-ul-Adha, I gave Sallah meat and Barka da Sallah, as it is usual with me, to some Christian friends. What of you, do you, dear reader, do such during your Eid or Christmas celebrations? Let me guess the answer...it is ‘yes!’ A 'memorable phrase' from a one-time American president, the great Abraham Lincoln, has just struck me: 'with malice towards none, with charity for all'!

Based on the foregoing, I am calling, with ‘emphasis’, despite the fact that my voice is not loud, on all Nigerians, in the spirit of ‘one Nigeria’ and ‘humanity’, that we are destined to live together irrespective of our diversity. ‘Diversity’, they say, ‘is a blessing’.

Before drawing the curtain of the first segment of this peace promoting piece, I say to the global Muslims: Happy Eidil Mubarak! My compatriots: Happy 54th Independence Anniversary. ‘Nigeria: Good nation, good people!', 'Nigeria, the America of Africa!!' 'Najeriya kasarmu ta gado', meaning, Nigeria, our inherited country. God bless Nigeria!!!

Bello Sagir Imam is a Kano based writer, and can be reached via belsagim@gmail.com or face book with the user name: Bello Sagir Imam.

To be continued...

(C) Bello Sagir Imam 2014. All Rights Reserved.

WHO IS bello sagir imam?

belsagim (twitter)

The Kano born Bello Sagir Imam was brought up in the forgoing ancient city in Nigeria. He attended Bahrun Nada Primary School, Kano Government College (KTC/KGC). Bello proceeded to Aminu Kano College Of Islamic and Legal Studies (AKCILS), Kano, where he was certificated with a Diploma in Civil Law. At AKCILS, he held the post of the college branch Secretary General of Nassarawa Local Government Students Association (NALSA).

The Secretary was nicknamed Senior Advocate Of Nigeria (SAN), which he rejected initially but later, having realized its worth, cherished it, and that made him aspired to become one, one day. But as fate would have it, his SAN aspiration was shattered: Bello was first admitted by the prestigious Bayero University Kano (BUK), for LLB, but his English deficiency in West African Examination Council (WAEC) rendered the admission void. The following year, he applied again for the same discipline and to the same varsity, but failed to get it, instead got B.A Linguistics.

He first decided to dump it, thus, registered again with Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and subsequently sat for it, applying for the third time to the same BUK for the same Law. But now, unlike many students who were in his shoes, Bello decided to become content with the B.A Linguistics. In other words, the person became a happy student of the science of language, as he would have been if had successfully been given Law, in the ivory tower. Linguistics is now his main course, with Theatre and Performing Arts (TPA) and Hausa as his subsidiary and second main courses respectively. He is presently (2016) the Financial Secretay of BUK Linguistics Students' Asssociation (LINSA) and the Assistant Chairman, Writers' Forum of Muslims Student Society of Nigeria (MSSN) BUK Chapter.

The Linguist in the making is a writer and member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Kano Branch. He has published a pamphlet of poetry in 2012 entitled: 'An Ocean Of Thanks'. His works are read in radio stations, featured in newspapers, magazines, anthologies and on the Internet. The writer is a blogger, and patronises social networking sites. He is currently the Secretary General of Literature and the World: an Internet based group. The blogger was an English language teacher in some private schools in Kano State, which included WAMY International School, Hadejia Road Kano.

Bello is a one-time politician. In 2007, He was elected, with landslide, as the Publicity Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) (which at this time is one of the three merged political parties that call themselves All Progressive Congress ‘APC’. APC won the 2015 presedential election as well as 90% of other elections in Nigeria) of Tudun Murtala Ward, Nassarawa Local Government Kano State, which made him to be the youngest member of the Tudun Murtala ACN Executives, as well as the Local Government branch’s. The Publicity was popularly known by his comrades as ‘Bello SAN’.

During his political struggle, Bello came in touch with some frontline politicians. These included the former governor of Lagos State, under the platform of Alliance For Democrats (AD), Barr. Bola Ahmad Tinubu, the first Kano State Civilian Governor and former Nigerian presidential aspirant under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP): the late Dr. Muhammad Abubakar Rimi, Sen. Najaatu Bala Muhammad, former Sen. Kano Central under the platform of Democratic Party Of Nigeria (DPN), and a host of others.

When the 2007 Nigerian General Election was around the corner, and before ‘Bello SAN’ could settle in his new office, he unofficially resigned, and therefore, embarked on an ‘indefinite self suspension’ from politics.

Finally, Bello is a bibliophile, hence, has the ambition, though on the surface may seem ridiculous or unthinkable, to read all the books available on earth, with the sole aim of bringing an end to the problems of humanity.

(C) Bello Sagir Imam 2014.

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