A serious country come together in time of crisis and jettison religious idiosyncrasies to fight a common enemy-Boko Haram and the callous politicians in our midst. Boko Haram has become a national menace, yet we factionalized our huge problem along religious and ethnic lines with accusation and counter-accusation. We Muslims and Christians in Nigeria wanton in deceit and self-righteousness. We are accomplices to corruption, bad governance and other social ills in the country. It is utterly disturbing that Nigerian brethren Muslim-Christian brothers and sisters keep arguing and creating unnecessary heat over recalcitrant countries when we should be looking for a way of solving our own mundane problems at home.
Social media is inundated with pro and anti Israel in the ongoing war in the Gaza between Hamas and Israel. It is pertinent to note that both Hamas extremism and Israeli government high-handedness are powered with hydra-headed postures and beliefs. The two warring factions forgot that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable, the results of which is being witnessed today. The two factions cannot continue to seek the destruction and extinction of each other. The humanity in us should recognize the existential threats being posed by Hamas to Israel as Israel too is guilty of injustice against the Palestinian people. Innocent women and children are vulnerable and also at the receiving end in any conflict. How do the world strike a mediation balance between these two? The two states solution being proposed by the jaundiced UN and a stop to the encroachment of Palestinian lands seem to be the quick answer to this refractory and impalpable problems.
The two nations, which we (Muslims and Christians in Nigeria) are fighting for expel Nigerians and Africans in drove from their countries every time. It is surprising to see some from the northern part of Nigeria protesting against the war between Israel and Hamas on religion ground. And my Christians in the southeast unjustifiably and vigorously supporting Israel current actions. Have they protested against the menace of Boko Haram that is consuming their brethren there in Nigeria? Where are our thinking caps in Nigeria?
The brawls between the two warring factions are complex issues that go beyond religion. These two people are brothers and sisters. Who created the Christains and Muslims in the world? How can we keep fighting ourselves all in the name of religion? Why are we so beclouded by injustice against a vulnerable people? Israel has the right to self-defense. But It should have looked for a way to route out Hamas who keeps sending rockets to kill its citizens instead of using unjustifiably, their indomitable power against the hapless women and children of Gaza who are not even in support of Hamas extremism. What goes round comes around. The failure and recalcitrant attitude of Israel by their expansion of occupying land in Gaza is widely seen as injustice against the Palestinian people. The incessant act of terrorism by Hamas also needs to stop by looking for another peaceful means to resolving this age-long feuds. Unless Israel and Palestinian come together and recognized the sovereignty of each other, there might not be any sustainable solution in sight.
Why do we believe what our beliefs are and close our eyes to other people’s beliefs? Millions of people have died as a result of this opium called religion. The same barbaric happenstance that we see in the Muslim world in this 21st century had happened in Constantine period when if you did not belong to Christianity, you must be hanged and executed. It nauseates one when you see fellow human beings being maimed and killed by the so-called Muslim and Christian extremists before and now with much audacity. It is imperative to listen to the forthcoming president Obama’s speech on the Muslim world and terrorist-ISIS resurgence in Iraq.
The problem with people’s mindset is their beliefs with no tolerance to other people’s beliefs and opinions.The ugly effects of injustice will be catastrophic and it’s multiplier effects will be worse for the world in general if we tend towards religion instead of ideas or human values. Our docile and gullible attitudes; and sense of self-interests instead of humanism in us, can only perpetuate our ignorance of what has happened in the past and cord us with the present situation without sustainable solution for this protracted religious strives in the nearest future. If God is able, then we are more of a blasphemous people to fight on his behalf.
