The
umbrella body of Muslims in the North, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, on
Thursday accused Christians in the region of disguising as Muslims to
raze churches in order to create disharmony in the country.
The JNI also warned all “Christian
zealots in Nigeria” to stop taking for granted, Muslims who “constitute
a majority of people living in the North.”
But spokesman of the Christian
Association of Nigeria in the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Sunday Oibe,
described the allegation by JNI as “baseless.”
Oibe said it was unthinkable that Christians would disguise to burn churches in the North.
The JNI asked the Federal Government and
the nation’s security agencies to immediately launch investigation into
what it described as act of terrorism perpetrated by Christians in the
North.
The group, in a statement issued at the
end of its three-day retreat, also tackled the President of CAN, Pastor
Ayo Oritsejafor, for making what it called “unguarded ulterance capable
of eroding the long existing cordial relationship between Muslims and
Christians in the country.”
The JNI statement which was signed by
its General Secretary, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, therefore advised Oritsejafor
to call on Christians in the North to stop perpetrating acts of
terrorism “while mischievously disguising as Muslims.”
It warned that the JNI would no longer tolerate the alleged “double face attitude.”
The statement reads in part,
“Participants condemn in totality, the ongoing spate of bombings and
killings of guiltless Nigerians irrespective of their regional,
religious or ethnic inclinations. JNI calls on Nigerians to shun
violence and embrace peaceful means of settling their legitimate
grievances.
“JNI urges the Federal Government to
call the president of CAN to order before he causes religious crisis in
the country, through his unguided utterances which have started eroding
the long built mutual respect between Muslims and Christians. CAN
president must direct his people to stop mischievously disguising as
Muslims in perpetrating acts of terrorism.
The Northern CAN spokesman however said JNI was merely trying “to divert attention.”
He said, “It is very irrational for any
right thinking person to say that a Christian could disguise as a
Muslim to go and throw bomb at churches and kill people in places like
Madalla, Jos, Maiduguri, Adamawa, Damaturu and other places.
“If they don’t know, let them be aware
that the President of CAN speaks the mind of Nigerian Christians,
particularly Christians in the North and we are solidly behind him.
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