Religion tolerance will bring national development – Cleric

The Amir (president) of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama’at Nigeria (AMJN) Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola, has said that religion tolerance and harmony would enhance security and promote rapid socio-economic development of the country. He made the plea in Abuja at the 4th annual National Peace Symposium themed: “Religious Tolerance and National Peace: Our Collective Obligation” organised […]

The Amir (president) of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama’at Nigeria (AMJN) Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola, has said that religion tolerance and harmony would enhance security and promote rapid socio-economic development of the country.

He made the plea in Abuja at the 4th annual National Peace Symposium themed: “Religious Tolerance and National Peace: Our Collective Obligation” organised by the AMJN Northern Region.

He said the need for promotion of religious tolerance and harmony is more critical especially because religious differences usually run parallel with ethnic and geo-political differences, which inflame religious conflict and cause it to degenerate into ethnic and regional hostilities, not only in Nigeria but in the world generally.

“This trend has become alarming among different religious and ethnic groups and regions during the past two decades, especially among major religious groups, with regional and ethnic dimensions, with obvious adverse consequences and peaceful co-existence and livelihood of people and sustainable socio-economic development,” Fashola said.

He therefore called for seeking of knowledge, promoting education, respect and tolerance, improving social and inter-faith harmony and support for charitable causes among others to surmount the challenges.

Earlier, the Naib Amir (Deputy National Leader) northern region, AMJN, Dr. Yekeen Habeeb, said that religious intolerance has been the root of major regional and national conflicts of several countries from time immemorial.

“Several national constitutions and even religious books agree on the basic principle of freedom of belief and faiths yet in practice religious, political and ethnic leaders have encourage the opposite,” Habeeb said.