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| Photo Courtesy of Sahara Reporters |
For an effective program of evangelisation to take proper root today and
for us to avoid the mistakes of the past, a proper reading of our
collective national history is inevitable. This phase of history has
been so distorted that this now has serious implications today in how
Muslims and Christians see one another and read their histories. For
example, many Islamic scholars have often created the impression that
somehow, missionary activities had a direct connection with western
imperialism since both missionaries and the colonialists were seen as
speaking the same language, having the same culture, coming from the
same lands and so on. I believe that we need to redress these mistakes
by re-reading and rewriting our common history.
for us to avoid the mistakes of the past, a proper reading of our
collective national history is inevitable. This phase of history has
been so distorted that this now has serious implications today in how
Muslims and Christians see one another and read their histories. For
example, many Islamic scholars have often created the impression that
somehow, missionary activities had a direct connection with western
imperialism since both missionaries and the colonialists were seen as
speaking the same language, having the same culture, coming from the
same lands and so on. I believe that we need to redress these mistakes
by re-reading and rewriting our common history.
The
return of democracy to a country like Nigeria now offers us a better
platform to address the issues of constitutionalism and common
citizenship. We now have opportunities to create greater harmony and a
common vision based on the provisions of our Constitution. Our inability
to resolve these issues accounts for why we continue to see one another
as strangers and why religious identities have become walls rather than
bridges. To reverse this, we need to take another look at a few issues.
There is a need for our voice to be more heard in the public space in a
more assertive and constructive way than mere condemnation of
government policies. We must explore areas of engagement of Church and
state so as to build greater confidence.
return of democracy to a country like Nigeria now offers us a better
platform to address the issues of constitutionalism and common
citizenship. We now have opportunities to create greater harmony and a
common vision based on the provisions of our Constitution. Our inability
to resolve these issues accounts for why we continue to see one another
as strangers and why religious identities have become walls rather than
bridges. To reverse this, we need to take another look at a few issues.
There is a need for our voice to be more heard in the public space in a
more assertive and constructive way than mere condemnation of
government policies. We must explore areas of engagement of Church and
state so as to build greater confidence.
The
Church must become more engaged in the issues of corruption and
mismanagement of resources by the political, actions which continue to
create the environment of violence in society. We need to expose our
higher institutions and political elite to the Social Doctrines of the
Church in areas such as the Common good and human solidarity.
Church must become more engaged in the issues of corruption and
mismanagement of resources by the political, actions which continue to
create the environment of violence in society. We need to expose our
higher institutions and political elite to the Social Doctrines of the
Church in areas such as the Common good and human solidarity.
I
wish to appeal to the Holy Father to continue to raise his voice and
appeal to the international community to address the issues of the
excesses and corruption perpetrated by multinational corporations,
again, actions that have kept our societies restive and violent.
wish to appeal to the Holy Father to continue to raise his voice and
appeal to the international community to address the issues of the
excesses and corruption perpetrated by multinational corporations,
again, actions that have kept our societies restive and violent.
”The truth might be hard to say, painful to bear or even drastic for the truth sayer but still needed to be said”. ALISON.
