Muslim World League chief arrives Abuja for interfaith peace conference

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The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Dr Mohammad Al-Issa, has arrived in Abuja for the Interfaith Peace Conference being jointly convened by the Muslim World League and Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS).

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Al-Issa was welcomed and received on Monday by the Minister of Information, Dr ‘Bosun Tijani; the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate; the Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmad Aliyu; alongside JIBWIS members at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.

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Al-Issa’s arrival is for a two-day international conference aimed at promoting religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence and development.

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The conference is expected to bring together Muslim and Christian leaders and other stakeholders.

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Speaking ahead of the conference, Chairman of the Conference Committee, Garba Mohammed, said Al-Issa and his delegation were in Nigeria primarily to participate in the event.

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He described the gathering as an international conference with significant implications for Nigeria’s social and economic development, religious inclusivity, tolerance, peace and peaceful coexistence.

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“The Muslim World League is the main partner. He’s holding this conference in partnership with JIBWIS. So he is, you can say, a co-host of this conference as far as the conference is concerned,” Mohammed said.

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He said the conference was particularly important because similar events had previously been held on other continents.

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“His purpose of coming to Nigeria is to attend this conference, which is a two-day conference. I think they have had this kind of conference in two other continents, in America, in Europe, and I think this is the third one. So it’s a very, very important conference,” he said.

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Mohammed said the conference was not intended to focus solely on Islamic development, despite being convened by an Islamic organisation.

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“They mean well. And we want to see how countries can come together for the purpose of governance and peaceful coexistence. The fact that it is an Islamic-based organisation, you know, does not mean that it is strictly for Islamic development. It’s for the development of mankind, humanity as a whole,” he said.

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The conference is also expected to witness the signing of the Abuja Declaration, a new initiative involving Muslim and Christian leaders aimed at strengthening peace-building efforts in Nigeria and West Africa.

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The declaration will establish a mechanism for preventing religious tensions from escalating into violence, while encouraging religious leaders to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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More than 50 senior dignitaries representing different sects and traditions from both the Muslim and Christian communities are expected to endorse the declaration.

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Al-Issa, who is widely recognised for his advocacy of moderate Islam and interfaith engagement, is also expected to highlight the Muslim World League’s efforts to strengthen relations between religious communities in West Africa.

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