The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, a British Prelate of the Catholic Church, have joined forces to fight hate speech and fake news.
The decision was reached after Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of NSCIA, hosted Gallagher in Abuja on Monday.
Prof. Salisu Shehu, the Deputy Secretary-General of NSCIA, told journalists after the meeting that the discussions centred on providing solutions to hate speech, fake news and other factors threatening peace and peaceful coexistence in the country.
Shehu, who spoke on behalf of Abubakar, explained that Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See, led a Catholic Church delegation for the meeting.
He explained that Gallagher, an important and key personality, coordinates diplomatic relationships and international linkages at the Vatican.
He added that the archbishop came with an entourage that included visitors from the Vatican, as well as leaders of the Catholic community in Nigeria.
According to him, the visit was to promote mutual understanding and emphasise the need for cooperation and promotion of peace and peaceful coexistence across different religious groups and faiths.
He said that the interfaith leaders restated their commitment to working towards maintaining and improving the security situation, not just in Nigeria but across the world.
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“The Islamic leader praised the Catholic community, especially in Nigeria, for being very cooperative and highly committed to peaceful coexistence in the country.
“He also acknowledged their willingness to work with him, through various interfaith organisations and activities, to ensure that peace and security are promoted in Nigeria.
“One of the major issues discussed was the need to fight hate speech. This is because to a large extent, hate speech has been most injurious to peaceful coexistence in the country.
“It has created what may be described as perceptual and relational crises among faith communities in Nigeria.
“Therefore, there was a strong call for all religious and interfaith communities to work together to combat hate speech, especially the growing and unfortunate phenomenon whereby some individuals openly insult religious leaders who are highly respected.
“The leaders called for concerted efforts to tame such behaviour and ensure that people refrain from insulting not only important religious figures but even ordinary individuals, who equally deserve respect,” he said.
Shehu added that another issue discussed was the need to fight fake news, describing it as an “evil” being used to precipitate a lot of trouble in the country.
He further said that the religious leaders equally noted the need to address the growing moral perversion currently holding sway in the world.
“We are witnessing a great deal of moral degeneration and moral perversion globally, and it is the duty of religious leaders and faith workers to ensure that these challenges are confronted.
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“There was also a discussion on the need to fight atheism, the growing rejection of God among young people, both within the Muslim and Christian communities,” he said.
On his part, Gallagher described the visit as timely and thanked the Sultan of Sokoto for inviting him.
“We had a very frank and illuminating conversation. It was good to hear that many of our positions regarding the role of religious leaders, both on the Catholic side and the Muslim side, are the same.
“For me, this is a reason for optimism regarding the religious cohesion of the country and our shared commitment to working for the good of all Nigerians,” he said.
Gallagher expressed the conviction that Christians and Muslims, particularly their leaders, would work together for the common good of all Nigerians. (NAN)
