In a recent development that has elicited mixed reactions from the public, a former Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Cardinal John Onaiyekan shared iftar to almost 2,000 Muslim faithful at the Al-Habibiyah mosque in Guzape, Abuja where they had gathered to perform prayers before breaking their Ramadan fast together with Christian visitors.
It is imperative to clarify that iftar is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.
While handing out the platters to the Muslims, Onaiyekan said: “We are doing our best to spread an attitude of openness because we believe that God does not want his children to kill each other. He wants us to live in peace. So anything we can do to promote peace, we must do.”
On his part, while remarking on the development, Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Fuad Adeyemi, said: “People see that the food we eat was given to us by a Christian clergy, a cardinal that everyone knows.
“This is not an underground clergy. It shows that we can really live together, that we can be friends, and that we can live in peace.”
In the event, which was graced by Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong and Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) Mohammed Buba Marwa, the clergy prayed for peace in Nigeria which has been hit by a spate of kidnappings targeting schools in recent weeks and attacks on army and civilian targets by Boko Haram.
In his remark, Lalong said “Here today we have many Muslims and Christians breaking fast together, we must encourage this kind of religious harmony”
“Our prayer is that God will use this union to answer our prayer so that there will be peace in Nigeria and all over the world.”
