The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’af Abubakar today received a Papal delegation led by Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See at the National Mosque Abuja.
Gallagher came to the meeting with an entourage that included visitors from the Vatican, as well as leaders of the Catholic community in Nigeria.
According to a statement by Professor Salisu Shehu, the Deputy Secretary-General of the NSCIA, the essence of the visit was to promote mutual understanding and emphasise the need for cooperation across religious and faith communities in promoting peace and peaceful coexistence, while also working towards maintaining and improving the security situation, not just in Nigeria but across the world.
In his welcome remarks the Sultan praised the Catholic community, especially in Nigeria, for being very cooperative and committed to peaceful coexistence in the country.
He also acknowledged their willingness to work together with him through various interfaith organisations and activities to ensure that peace and security are promoted in Nigeria.
One of the major issues discussed was the need to fight hate speech because, to a large extent, hate speech has been most injurious to peaceful coexistence in the country. It has created what may be described as perceptual and relational crises among faith communities in Nigeria.
Therefore, there was a strong call for all religious and faith communities to work together to combat hate speech, especially the growing and unfortunate phenomenon whereby some individuals openly insult religious leaders.
There was therefore a call to tame such behaviour and ensure that people refrain from insulting not only important religious figures but even ordinary individuals, who equally deserve respect.
Another issue discussed was the need to fight fake news. The religious leaders described fake news as an evil being used to precipitate trouble in the country.
The leaders also discussed the need to address the overall moral perversion that is holding sway in the world today.
“We are witnessing a great deal of moral degeneration and moral perversion globally, and it is the duty of religious leaders and faith workers to ensure that these challenges are confronted,” the meeting noted.
Finally, there was a discussion on the need to fight atheism, with the leaders expressing alarm at the growing rejection of God/religion among young people, both within the Muslim and Christian communities.
