November 18 2002

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Hoping to reduce interreligious violence, Christian and Muslim leaders in northern Bauchi state recently started the Movement for Peace.

Dalhat Liman-Katagum, the movement's Muslim cochairman (who serves with a Christian), said, "We, as Christians and Muslims, must learn to live in peace and be tolerant with one another."

Thousands of Nigerians have died in religious and ethnic mayhem during the past year. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes (CT, Oct. 7, p. 28). "We as religious leaders, pastors, imams, traditional rulers, and agents of the government must work together," said Iliya Ciroma of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Twelve northern Nigerian states (including Bauchi with 2.9 million people) have adopted Muslim Shari'ah law since 1999. Islamic laws call for punishments such as stoning, amputation of hands, and floggings. In April a 15-year-old was sentenced to amputation for theft.

When Christian and Muslim leaders met in September in Abuja, the centrally located federal capital, they were sharply divided over Shari'ah. Christians told their Muslim counterparts that Islamic laws should not apply to Christians. Muslim leaders in turn accused Christians of intolerance. Yet both sides said they would pursue peaceful coexistence.

For more on Nigeria and Shari'ah, see Yahoo's Full Coverage and AllAfrica.com

Previous Christianity Today coverage of religious tensions in Nigeria include:

'A Blast of Hell'500,000 people uprooted, thousands dead in violence. (Sept. 24, 2002)

Where Adultery Means DeathPolitical and religious leaders clash in Nigeria over the increased use of Islamic law (May 8, 2002)

Archbishop Proposes to Die in Place of Woman Sentenced to StoningOkogie's offer is a protest against Nigeria's ...