Interfaith group moves to bridge gaps through tolerance

An interfaith interest group, UFUK Dialogue, last week, held its seventh Peace Award and Friendship Iftar Dinner in Abuja meant to cement relationships and foster peaceful coexistence among adherents of various faiths. The ambiance of the gathering was electrifying as adherents of different religions exchanged views freely with one another while dining. All through the […]

An interfaith interest group, UFUK Dialogue, last week, held its seventh Peace Award and Friendship Iftar Dinner in Abuja meant to cement relationships and foster peaceful coexistence among adherents of various faiths.

The ambiance of the gathering was electrifying as adherents of different religions exchanged views freely with one another while dining.

All through the event, the message preached was peace, love and tolerance. This some of the participants said, would bridge the gap of differences among different religions.

In his opening remarks, the President of UFUK Dialogue, Kamil Kemanci, said the event was “to confer awards on some exceptionally fantastic personalities in Nigeria for their wonderful effort and support on developing a peaceful society.”

Speaking on the organisation’s commitment to the society, he said, “UFUK Dialogue serves to stand by peace, love, tolerance, respect and compassion in support of human dignity and the greater good of humanity. As such, we are committed to universal values of freedom, justice, democracy and the rights of all living beings.’’

He said members also organised annual conferences with the themes which bordered on “countering violent extremism through love and tolerance”, which brought people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds to the same table.

Kemanci, while stressing the need for a peaceful society said: “We need dialogue and peace more than we need food and shelter.”

He explained that dialogue and peaceful co-existence had always been and still remained a need, a necessity for people to have a healthy and more productive society and that it was possible to transform conflict into cooperation.

“Islam and Christianity all come from the same root, have almost the same essentials and are nourished from the same source.

“Apart from the common points between them, they share the same responsibility to build a happy world for all of God’s creatures,” he said.

Explaining to the gathering how the organisation will succeed, he said people must forget the past, ignore polemics and “focus on our common points. For everyone to live peacefully, it is important for individuals to rise above differences that drive them apart and that goes beyond any ideology or political system, and above any religious movement or authority.”

Stressing more on the need for humans to recognise themselves first, before religion, he said, “We must consider ourselves first before we consider our belonging to a religious or cultural tradition. We are human first before we are Christian or Muslim or Ibo, Yoruba or Hausa.”

He informed the audience that the dialogue had come to stay in different parts of the world and that the results had been positive and the followers of all religions would find more ways to get closer and assist one another.

He stated that a peaceful world was not something that could be naturally created, rather, “It is made by our hands. So, whatever it costs, we must continue to be a voice for dialogue and love between people of all faiths and cultures.

“Let’s work together and create a peaceful world desired by every person. Let’s come together to listen and understand each other in empathy and look to the events from the areas of justice and reason, not the partisanship of one group. This is the dream that we carry through the world. That something wonderful will happen in a peaceful world.”

Several persons were presented with awards that in the opinion of the group were “peace-loving people” who had dedicated their expertise to bridge the gaps of cultural and religious differences.

The Catholic Bishop of Orlu Diocese, Imo State, Most Rev. Godson Ukwuoma, expressed profound gratitude to the organisation.

Bishop Ukwuoma said the awards were very significant because they showed that the group placed and recognised cultural diversity as an opportunity for growth and to sensitise the people on building bridges among the various ethnic groups in Nigeria.

He said people of goodwill should help to build peace and foster understanding as a way of resolving conflict among the various ethnic groups.

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashir Obasa, who was represented by Misbau Opeyemi Aminu, said the group had encouraged well-meaning people to promote tolerance among various faiths and ethnic groups in Lagos.

In her message, a former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Dame Pauline Tallen, said the bitterness and unwillingness to forgive among people could be resolved if people loved one another.

The event, once again brought together a lot Nigerians from different religious and cultural backgrounds among them members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIRC).