Together in Nigeria on 19 August, Christians and Muslims together opened the International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony (ICIPH), marking an historic milestone for the international pilgrimage of justice and peace.
Amid a growing number of interfaith initiatives in Nigeria, the new centre, located in Kaduna, has as its unique goal to systematically document interfaith relations with the goal of informing national and international policy-making.
The centre began as a vision four years ago, standing on the very place on which the building is now open, said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, who delivered remarks at the official opening.
“We have come here as pilgrims, Muslims and Christians, to seek the will of God for justice and peace,” he said.
“Pilgrimages are for people of faith to holy places. That might be places of great historical importance for our faith. However, places where the sanctity of life, holy in the eyes of the Holy God, is under threat can also be holy places. Like here in Kaduna. We are today in the city that has been known by many for the fights with religious connotations.”
But now Kaduna will be a city known for its witness to inter-religious peace and harmony, he said.
“This place can be a holy place in a new way, bringing a new vision and anew reality of people of faith living together. The presence of you, the religious leaders of Nigeria, shows the significance of this day and this event for the whole nation,” said Tveit.
Four years ago, Tveit co-led a joint Christian-Muslim international delegation to Nigeria with His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi of Jordan, during which they met with the leadership of Christian and Muslim communities. At that time, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja accompanied them, as did Sultan of Sokoto Sa’adu Abubakar.
Four years later, these initial visionary discussions have come to fruition, thanks to the leadership of key local Nigerian partners, the Christian Council of Nigeria and Jama’atu Nasril Islam. They have been backed by international partners WCC and and the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT). Many of the original planners attended the grand opening, along with faith leaders from Nigeria and across the world.
What will the peace centre do? “WCC and RABIIT will, God willing, seek partners to enable the opening of a neutral information-collection and archive centre, ideally both virtually and on the ground in Nigeria, which will facilitate the sharing of stories, allow the voices of those who feel themselves voiceless to be heard and recorded, and assist with the collecting of accurate data about incidents of violence, online and through hotlines,” explained Tveit. “The aim of this will be to make an accurate, impartial and indelible record of injustices, violence and atrocities which can serve not only as a deterrent but also as an honest starting point for future solutions.”
Local, regional and international faith leaders were recognized at the grand opening, among them Dr Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, primate of the African Church and president of the Christian Council of Nigeria, and Dr Khalid Aliyu, secretary general of Jama’atu Nasril Islam.
A ceremony to commemorate the grand opening began with a Muslim prayer and concluded with a Christian prayer.
The peace centre is not simply a building, emphasized Tveit, but a catalyst for hope and change for the future.
“The aim will be to make an accurate, impartial and indelible record of injustices, violence and atrocities which can serve not only as a deterrent but also as an honest starting point for future solutions,” he said.
“My daily prayer, taken from the Song of Zechariah, a prophet honoured I believe both by Christians and Muslims, asks God ‘to guide our feet in the way of peace’. In the opening of this centre I believe that we have taken some steps forward on this vital way.”
in http://www.oikoumene.org/