Why Religion Should Say ‘No’ to Ethnic Chauvinism and Political Opportunism

By: Muhammad Saad Abubakar

July 6, 2016

Religion, Violence, and Peace

I have been asked, quite often, whether Nigeria ever witnessed a purely religious conflict. My answer has always been a qualified no. In this response, I was not unmindful of the rich tapestry, which has interwoven our sociopolitical and political ethos with our diverse religious beliefs and practices. Such richness had irretrievably given our various and varied communities their unique identities and had helped to build cohesion and a sense of togetherness which remained strong even after several decades and centuries.


But it should also be stated, without much trepidation, that when religion focuses undue attention on the particularities of our emergent and increasingly complex societies, it stands a great risk of losing its universalism. Unfortunately, it also allows the parochial elements among us—the ethnic chauvinists, the rabid nationalists, and the political opportunists—to foster their narrow, and in many instances, destructive agenda on the rest of the society. The leaders of these groups know very clearly the fault lines within our societies and are not afraid to exploit them, especially when they serve their bruised egos and vested interests. They know the holy alliance between religion, ethnicity, and politics that had once boosted our identities and togetherness, could turn neighbor against neighbor and community against community, all in the name of sustaining ethnic and group supremacy and political ascendency.

This tragedy finds illustration in the many ethno-religious crises that rocked Nigeria in the recent past. The Sharia Riots, beginning in 2000, came and went, but it left in its wake thousands of dead and injured, both Muslim and Christian, and indeed a huge political controversy. The Jos Riots of 2008 and other ethno-religious riots that took place in many parts of the northern states also took a heavy toll on life and property. Many areas that served as epicenters of this senseless mayhem have yet to fully recover from this tragedy.

But despite the severity of these ethno-religious crises, the Jos Riots underscore the crux of our argument so far. The riots were not triggered by an overt religious controversy but by a disputed chairmanship election in Jos North Local Government. It also became the most intractable. As the president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and co-chairman of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, I had the opportunity to tour the area in the company of the Catholic archbishop of Abuja Diocese, then bishop, now Cardinal John Onaiyekan. We could not but reach similar conclusions: Yes, the Jos crisis had pitched Hausas who were Muslim and Beroms who were Christian against one another. But it was essentially a political conflict and not a conflict between Islam and Christianity. While we must empathize with our flock and do our utmost best to ameliorate their sorrowful situation, we must invoke the common religious values we share to ensure that the individual pain of anyone of us becomes the collective pain of us all. The decision we took to tour Jos together was not a popular one at the time. But it remains my firm belief that religious leaders must endeavor to tell the truth, however inconvenient it may have been at the time. And we did.

At a time when religion is too often co-opted for political means, religion and religious traditions must rescue themselves from the clutches of demagoguery and opportunism and re-establish the universality of their value system. Parochial groups and vested interests must not be allowed to use religion to pursue their various agendas. Religion must marshal its value system to dialogue with and mediate between various societal forces. We must always focus on and elevate the primacy of our common humanity, which has been endowed not only with dignity but with respect. The Holy Qur’an, for example, is explicit in stating that God had created us into diverse groups and ethnicities so that we would be acquainted with one another. However, the most pious before God is one who holds to piety. No religious tradition, interpreted in its proper context, would condone the usurpation of the basic human rights of a fellow being, wherever he may find himself or herself across the religious divide. A religion fails to uphold these values at its own peril.

It is also of critical importance for religions and religious traditions to guard against pandering to religious extremism and to the extremists in our midst. We must sustain an efficacious and responsive hierarchy of learning and status to ensure that extremism does not find a foothold in our respective societies. Nigeria and its neighbors have had the misfortune of harboring a virulent extremist sect generally referred to as Boko Haram. This sect, which had been most active in the northeastern parts of the country, has done untold damage to the socioeconomic infrastructure of Nigeria, leaving tens of thousands dead and over two million as refugees in their own homeland.

Although substantially degraded, the lessons of the Boko Haram attacks will remain fresh in our minds. Firstly, religious leaders should never remain oblivious to errant ideas that shall lead to violence and destruction. Boko Haram began as an insignificant and inconsequential entity, but soon arrogated to itself the status of being the only Muslim group. All “others,” Muslim and Christian, were declared unbelievers and targeted for extermination. We must have the courage to resist evil in all its guises. We must be able to form a broad and enlightened front to build a formidable resistance against such groups. It is equally vital to point out that we must never allow poverty to aid extremism. The northeast remains one of the poorest regions in West Africa, with poverty indices hovering around 70 percent.

Our common humanity must impel us to ensure that poverty does not hobble any portion of our global community. It must be deemed a common enemy that shall be fought by all.

By pooling efforts across religions and countries, we can demonstrate that we will no longer allow our faiths to be co-opted by politics or extremism. Only together can we combat extremism, poverty, and other global challenges.
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