The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has asked for greater unity among the Abrahamic faiths, saying that they all belong to the same source.
Ambassador Freeman made the call during an iftar dinner hosted for Muslims by the Jewish community in Nigeria, to which Christians were also invited.
He said: “What unites us is so much more than anything that divides us and the differences that we have, are so minor in comparison to the fact that we are Abraham’s children.”
“We all come to stem from Abraham, we all come from the same place and we all are going to end up in the same place ultimately, and so to be able to seal this is something special,” he adds.
“Today is that opportunity for us to say, never again, not only say never again but to demonstrate it under this roof. Christians, Muslims Jews, celebrating what unites us celebrating the festivals, we have just finished Easter, we’ve just been in Passover and we’re about to finish Ramadan.”
Speaking at the Iftar on Monday night in Abuja, the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan, said Nigerians are completely living together and that he saw the mixing of different religions and different people living together as a distinguished reality in the country.
“In Nigeria, for the last 10 years that am here, maybe am too naïve or I have to change my glasses, I don’t see so many problems that we talk always about in the newspaper. Yes, there are many problems but there are so many good aspects of Nigeria.
“Nigerians are coexisting, celebrating all the holidays together. We have Jews country, Muslims, and Christians country, and all of them thank God. Nigerians are a country they are always together because you cannot identify it as Christian, Muslim or Jews country. Nigeria is a beautiful mixed country, mixing family, politics, and business and tonight this is what we can see,” Uzan said.
Also, one of the Chief Imams of Abuja, Dr Muhammad Kabir Adam asked the three religions to “…reaffirm our commitment to peacebuilding, our commitment to peaceful coexistence, our commitment to always receive each other, live with each other and everybody is free to his own belief.”
He added that having the three religions celebrating at the same time was a very rare and historic event. “In the last few days, we celebrated the Passover, we had the Easter celebrations and now Muslims are preparing for Eid- El Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. The three things used to happen only three times in 100 years, So this year is very historic.”
Still speaking on tolerance, Imam Muhammed quoting the Qur’an said: “There is no compulsion in religion, so you can practice your religion, I can practice my religion, or we can talk to people, sell to them the ideas of our religion, and whoever is interested, he is free to take it or leave it but the most important is for us to always live in peace and understand each other.“
The Chairman Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), FCT Chapter, Rev. Timothy Amakon said: “Religion should not be something that will divide human beings or something that will make human beings see one another as enemies. But I believe that religion is what God made to unite us.”
Amakon said all human beings worldwide should understand that mankind is one and serving the same God.
Speaking on the essence of the gathering, Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyah Mosque, Sheik Fuad Adeyemi, said that the event showed that everyone can practice their beliefs in peace and thus an indication that mankind can live in peace without trampling on other people’s rights.
He said: “What some people are saying is let all religions should be one it cannot be possible. We couldn’t have one religion, but whatever the number of religious groups that we belong to, we should not see it as a weapon that we use to fight ourselves that is the only thing we are saying in the Abrahamic mission.
“The essence of what we are doing here today is also to confirm or to cement that unity. Yes, we are different. Yes, we could do things together. Yes, our difference does not mean we are enemies to ourselves and that is why this program is also trying to promote peace and unity.”
The programme by the Jewish community in Abuja was attended by representatives of the US, French, Moroccan and UAE embassies.
