There are reasons why the 31st national Quranic recitation and memorisation competition held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, stood out. But the huge crowd was not one of those reasons. Nor was the mere fact that celebrities attended.
The distinction lay in the growing appeal of the contest: 33 states participated, a record. Then if the celebrities were classed, those who attended were at the very top. President Muhammadu Buhari was billed to grace the occasion, but had to attend to his health. The Sultan of Sokoto Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III was there; so were Senate President Bukola Saraki, and Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, among others.
Then came the best part: the dignitaries made a passionate plea for peace and religious tolerance.
At a time when the rumour mill is churning out unfounded tales of religious expansionism and domination, the celebrities’ plea helped to calm nerves.
The dignitaries also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sultan Abubakar urged “millions of Muslims in this country and beyond to live in peace with one another. As Muslims we do not want to dominate any religion or tribe whatsoever.
“As Muslims we only want to be allowed to practice our religion to the best of our ability as enshrined in the Holy Quran. We do not want any special attention or treatment from anybody.
“All what we want is a level playing ground for all of us as Nigerians to practice our religion.
“Therefore, those who keep on using social media and pages of newspapers to write articles that seem to divide us instead of uniting us should have and must have a rethink. Please be patriotic enough to write things that will unite this country rather than divide us.
“So we call on all of us to always preach peace, stability and love whatever religion we have in our minds. I want our political leaders to work on things that will unite us. Let’s us work together on common problems such as poverty, unemployment, extremism and so on and so forth. There are so many of the challenges that are threats to peaceful co-existence but not religion. We must use religion to bind all of us together. Let’s us face our common problems.
“I urge Nigerians to offer prayers to President Muhammadu Buhari, our governors and leaders for God to shine His light upon them for them to live aright. We should offer special prayers for the president for him to come back safely and continue to pilot the affairs of this country to greater height.
“For the first time we have 33 states including FCT participating in the Quranic memorisation competition. It goes to show the peace and stability of the state and I call on all Kwarans to support the current government to continue to ensure peace; so that each and every one of us will live freely and perform all our religious obligations. No matter the religion we choose to profess.
“One thing I always bring up in this type of gathering is the unity of Muslim ummahs. Today’s gathering like other years brought together Muslims from diverse background and from all sects of our religious belief. I urge us to always hold on to Muslim’s unity in spite of the small differences that we hold into our heart. But all of us are here for one thing. That is the Holy Quran and if you walk with the Quran all problems will be solved as Muslims and as a country Nigeria.
“I urge all our political leaders irrespective of their religious inclinations to hold on to their religious beliefs; to administer the people God put on their shoulders as best as they can. With that I believe there will be no problem.”
Saraki was optimistic that Nigerians would continue to cohabit peacefully.
He said, “It is my hope and prayers that as a country, we will continue to live in peace. We can always do that through teachings of the holy book. I use this opportunity to implore us all to continue to pray for this great country of ours. We don’t have any other country order than this. I also call on us to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari for good health, speed recovery and to come back home to join us soon. I urge us to pray for the unity of this country; to pray for understanding.”
The Senate President also assured that the National Assembly would not legislate any law that would discriminate aganist religious practices in the country.
“Let me seize this opportunity of my representing the Senate and the National Assembly to reassure you that we will not be part of any institution that will pass any law that is against the teaching of the Holy Quran,” he said. “I want to assure you that we that are representing you will not do anything that would hurt you.”
Governor Ahmed described the use of religion to perpetuate violence as unfortunate. He based his assertion on the emphasis placed on peace and justice by both Christianity and Islam.
Governor Ahmed said that it is the responsibility of all Nigerians to resist, through peaceful means, those who are bent on misrepresenting religion and fomenting conflict in its name.
The governor, who is married to a Christain, Omolewa, said that his government was focused on sustaining peaceful coexistence, adding that he would continue to ensure peace and harmonious relationship based on principles of justice, fairness and equity.
The governor said he remained committed to equitable distribution of infrastructure, socio-economic programmes, adding that no community in the state would be excluded from the benefits of prosperity on account of their religious or political inclinations.
