Sultan urges Muslims to champion national unity, religious tolerance

Detailed summary

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar III, has urged Muslims to champion national unity, religious tolerance, and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria. Read More:…

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar III, on Sunday urged Muslims across the country to champion national unity, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence, warning against the use of ethnicity as a basis for division within the Muslim community and Nigeria at large.

He made the call during the 11th General Assembly of the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria, held at the M.O. Abdul Hall, University of Ibadan Central Mosque Auditorium, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The assembly had as its theme: “Insecurity in Nigeria: A Technology-Driven and Collective Approach for National Development.”

The Sultan said Nigerians must recognise their common humanity and work together for national development, stressing that ethnic, regional and religious differences should not undermine their collective responsibility to build a peaceful and prosperous country.

Abubakar, who is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said Muslims belonged to one big family and should recognise their shared identity as members of the human family created by Almighty Allah.

“We are one big family. Ethnicity should never be a determining factor in identifying who is a Muslim and who is not.

“Almighty Allah created us as one human family and commanded us to worship Him alone and glorify His name. So, I urge you to champion national unity, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence,” he stated.

The monarch further emphasised the importance of placing Islam at the centre of Muslims’ lives, urging them to allow the teachings of the religion to guide their conduct, relationships and contributions to humanity.

“It must be Islam first, Islam first, Islam first, and Islam last,” he declared.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Punch. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.