Desecration of the sacred temple
This is an illustration of how the Muslims and those who love Islam believe in the sacredness of Saudi Arabia as a holy land being the home of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Jews also believe that Jerusalem is a holy land because of the Sacred Temple that symbolized the presence of God in Israel: […]
This is an illustration of how the Muslims and those who love Islam believe in the sacredness of Saudi Arabia as a holy land being the home of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Jews also believe that Jerusalem is a holy land because of the Sacred Temple that symbolized the presence of God in Israel: “I rejoice when I heard them say: Let us go to the house of God” (Psalm 122, 1).
Everywhere created by God ought to be holy but there are special places and houses dedicated and consecrated as sacred places for the worship of God. Today churches and mosques are sacred houses where people experience the presence of God. It has been on record that some Christians have prayed in the mosque and some Muslims have prayed in the church because of the belief that these are houses of God.
The testimony of Deanhills (http://www.frihost.com/forums) is very touching and revealing. She said: “As a Roman Catholic who worked in Somalia, I prayed inside a tiny mosque as a Christian. The imam at the local mosque knew who I was and welcomed me…. I certainly would not be offended if a Muslim walked inside my church and prayed”.
In Christian theology, the sacredness of the temple goes beyond physical buildings. Human beings are regarded as temples of God hence Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him “ (1 Corinthians 3: 16 -17).
In my previous article: “Islam and the Blessed Virgin Mary,” I stated that Saudi government detaining and deporting some Nigerian Muslim women who went to Mecca to perform the hajj calls for serious reflection. I was not happy hearing the terrible reports of woes and humiliation suffered by the women who went to the holy land to perform the hajj which is a sacred duty for Muslims.
From the reactions I got from that article, It has become clear to me that the comportment of some Nigerian women in Saudi Arabia is so disgraceful that one will be ashamed to identify oneself as a Nigerian.
A lot of people have overtly or covertly speculated that the fault is not in Saudi Arabia. Some alleged that some women had disappeared in Saudi during the lesser hajj hence the Saudi government is careful not to allow any body to enter their country to desecrate the holy land.
I understand that some women who live in Saudi illegally even go to the extent of sleeping under the bridges and public toilets only to resurface as holy pilgrims during the hajj. In view of this, the Saudi government has the obligation and duty to protect its country and sustain the sanctity of the holy land.
In Islam, there is order even in worship. There are rules and regulations that must be followed. Even in heaven there is order. In the Catholic Church, there are also rules and regulations that guide the liturgy which is a sacred and public worship.
While I commend the Muslims for the high reverence they have for their places of worship, I recommend that this attitude should be extended to other religious sacred houses of worship. In other words, let us mutually respect one another’s sacred buildings by not attacking them and killing the innocent worshippers inside. Confidence in Nigeria has fallen because the nation has added terrorism to its list of iniquity. If some Nigerian religious fanatics can go to the extent of desecrating the sacred places of worship in their own country, how can they be trusted even in the sacred land of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Threat Matrix Journal gave the chronology of bomb attacks on houses of worship in 2012 as follows: June 17, 2012 – Kaduna; June 10, 2012 – Jos; June 8, 2012 – Maiduguri; June 3, 2012 – Bauchi; April 30, 2012 – Jalingo; April 8, 2012 – Kaduna; March 11, 2012 – Jos; Feb. 26, 2012 – Jos; Jan. 21, 2012 – Kano. How can we ever forget the ugliest desecration of the church in Madalla, on December 25, 2011 where worshipers on Christmas day were roasted like chicken? A bomb blast has also been reported in a mosque in Nigeria. All in God’s name! Fighting for God indeed!
There are various ways and manners of religious intolerance that can translate to inter-personal terrorism and inter-religious terrorism. It is time for us to really rewrite our history and save Nigerians from all forms of embarrassment outside the shores of our nation. While we continue this conversation and enquiry into the cause of our woes, let us not forget to remember that any attack on a church, a mosque or any house of worship is a desecration of the temple of God.
Fr (Prof.) Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja and Consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (CRRM), Vatican City, Rome