In a world struggling to stem the rising tide of insecurity occasioned by mass killings – the handiwork of warped-minded faith extremists -the gesture of the National Chief Imam at Easter was indeed a light in the dark.
Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu went to Christ The King Church and the reception was as rare as the gesture – a triumph over evil-minded extremists who would rather the world succumbs to their selfish and untenable demands.
They are the unwanted persons in decent societies who profit from situations of chaos, their stock-in-trade. They have sought to create a dangerous rift between members of the varying faiths in the world, applying harsh and hostile doctrines which do not belong to civilized societies and God’s realm.
There comes a time in the history of mankind when a man emerges whose distinct features not only stand him apart from others but prime him to effect epic changes which alter the course of history as we expectedly witnessed last Sunday.
Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu’s influence straddles across the two great faiths and beyond like no other. His action of extending the celebration of his centenary to a church will, of course, contribute immensely towards inter-faith harmony. Some countries have worked tirelessly towards the achievement of such a goal but to no avail; we on the other hand have been blessed with this advantage as personified by the National Chief Imam.
We must savour the blessing with a commitment to avoid anything that would affect the foundation of peace in the country. The open-mindedness which the National Chief Imam has exhibited over the years is in sharp contrast from that which the fifth columnists hold to be dear and for them the standard; those who do not conform to their school of belief are neither worthy of respect nor even living; hence the inexplicable murders and suicides littering the world.
Here and there, they pop up spewing their crazy ideas when they succeed in carrying out their short-lived yet fatal skirmishes as witnessed in New Zealand and elsewhere. By their actions, they are neither fit to be called Muslims nor Christians, even though they claim to belong to one of these faiths.
The Chief Imam’s visit came on the heels of the Sri Lankan massacre of scores of Catholics and the New Zealand mosque killings – a light therefore, of course, in a dark world. What a subtle message to the troubled world that we can make our planet peaceful through harmonious co-existence. Live and let’s live should be the order of a peaceful world order.
We saw the dividends from the New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s swift intervention when she interacted with the shocked Muslims in the aftermath of the mosque killings. She was clad in hijab as she engaged with them in a manner which won her the confidence of the bereaved and traumatized Muslims.
BBC’s Audrey Brown’s description of the Islamic cleric’s gesture as ‘a light in the dark’ informed our headline. Bearers of darkness are intent in subduing the light glittering in the world. We are many; they are in the minority – the momentum of their madness dimming by the day. Together members of the faiths can create a better world devoid of unnecessary animosities. For those who played a part in the visit of the National Chief Imam to the church on both sides of the religious aisle, we say bravo!