logo

African continent urged to embrace unity of diversity

ACK Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit said that there is a need for inter-religious cooperation.

image
by STEPHEN ASTARIKO

News11 April 2024 - 15:09

In Summary


  • The civil society organization champions the relationship between Christians and Muslims with the aim being to share our humanity with respect but also to live harmoniously and in peace.
  • In Africa and Kenya to be specific, there have been cases of radicalization and misinterpretation of religion by individuals who do this to suit their agenda where they go on to carry out attacks killing innocent people.
ACK Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit

The Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) has called on the African continent and the world at large to embrace the unity of diversity.

The civil society organization champions the relationship between Christians and Muslims with the aim being to share our humanity with respect but also to live harmoniously and in peace.

In Africa and Kenya to be specific, there have been cases of radicalization and misinterpretation of religion by individuals who do this to suit their agenda where they go on to carry out attacks killing innocent people.

The clerics said they were out to correct the notion saying religion has greatly been misused.

ACK Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit said that there is a need for inter-religious cooperation so that we better the human development of our societies and communities.

Sapit said that they aim to promote inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue among communities in Africa without looking at differences of religion or other diversities.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 18th General Assembly meeting that was held in Mombasa and which brought together 24 countries both Muslims and Christians.

“We are all neighbours of one another. You can choose a friend but necessarily we don’t choose neighbours. We live with those people whom God has brought to us as our neighbours,” he said.

“We are here to tell everybody that terrorism knows no religion. All they do is misuse religion and that is what we must all unite and correct.” 

The meeting whose theme was ‘loving ones neighbour’ dwelled into the discussion of eliminating intolerance that is the driver of religious extremism.

Dr. Evans Onyemara, the secretary general of the Christian Council of Nigeria, said that they were all in agreement that without peace and justice there can be no development saying that their concentration lies.

“We have also discovered that no one religion can own Africa. Christians or Muslims can lay claim and say that Africa belongs to them. So the earlier we resolve to leave together the better for us. And the better we develop,” he said.

PROCMURA team coordinator Joy Wandabwa told the press during the closing ceremony of a three-day training session, for the students under the Peace Ambassadors programme, that the youth were more vulnerable to exploitation by political actors, including terror groups.


logo© The Star 2024. All rights reserved