A document co-developed by religious leaders from Islam and Christianity, to encourage religious unity and peace among Nigerians of diverse faiths has been released.
The document, tilted, ‘Interfaith Code of Conduct’ received support from other religious leaders apart from Christianity and Islam such as the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, as well as the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAIICID).
Interfaith Dialogue for Peace Forum (IDPF), which facilitated the document development, said the objective was to guide religious practice in Nigeria, and promote peace, justice and harmony among followers of different religious faiths in the country.
IDPF added that the document was developed as a guide to all interfaith community members, especially, Muslim and Christian leaders and their followers on mitigating over religious conflict, and improving social cohesion, understanding and peaceful co-existence in local communities between people of different religious beliefs.
While presenting the document to the public in Abuja, yesterday, the co-Chairmen of IDPF, Dr. Yusuf Yakubu Arrigasiyyu, and Rev. Amos Kiri, expressed optimism that adopting and/or making use of the document in various religious communities will guarantee a peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
The duo also confirmed that the document was jointly developed by key members of the two religious’ bodies, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and that it was driven by the core values of mutual love and respect, human rights and dignity, hate speech and blasphemy, conflict resolution, justice, ethical standards, truthfulness and sincerity, among others.
