The attack, already widely reported, was said to have been carried out at about 8:30 p.m on Monday, August 6th 201 2. So far, the gentle souls of about twenty innocent people are said to have been dead, while several others injured, in the dastardly act.
The attackers we were
told, laid siege on the church while a vigil was on, bombarding it with a
barrage of gun shots.
Considering that this is an attack that was masterminded in the wee hours of the night, no security or health officials were available to give a helping hand to these unarmed people.
Considering that this is an attack that was masterminded in the wee hours of the night, no security or health officials were available to give a helping hand to these unarmed people.
Painful as this ugly
incident is, and as we all grieve over what has happened, it is important to
note, that this act of barbarism is not done in the propagation of Islam. Islam
is no doubt, a religion of peace and not violence. People, who are in a
position to know what Islam is, such as Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, the
Saudi Arabian-based Nigerian Islamic scholar, has been quick to point out, that there is no
compulsion on non-Muslims to convert to Islam. Sheikh Gumi made the assertion
in his ongoing Ramadan sermon at the historic Sultan Muhammadu Bello Mosque in
Kaduna.
“Mallam [Teacher]
as the Sheikh is popularly called made it clear that there is no compulsion and
forceful conversion of anybody to Islamic religion. He explained that enemies
of Islam and some misguided Muslims are responsible for creating confusion and
division among the Muslim Ummah.”
In concluding his
talk, Sheikh Gumi implored Muslims to seek knowledge in order to know what they
are doing and to follow Allah accordingly.
My conviction
therefore, is that people that attack churches and kill innocent Nigerians in
their thousands in pretext of propagating Islam, first and foremost lack
knowledge and are not doing what they claimed to be doing, in pursuit of
Allah’s will. A pointer to this fact is based on Sheikh Gumi’s submission when
he said "In the Holy Scriptures, both Christians and Muslims are taught
that God is the Source of peace and the bestowal of security. And since the
doctrine of peace and security are His will, the establishment of that peace
and maintenance of security must, therefore, be the constant objective of all
Muslims and Christians alike. Those who choose to entrench a campaign of
violence and threats against others who have done nothing to provoke them must
take a break, reevaluate Allah’s message of peace and harmony and understand
that only through conformity to the spirit of peace, patience, conscience and
the promotion of human welfare can we achieve a society where all can
co-exist".
This position is
further re-enforced by the fact that I grew up in Auchi town in Estako-West in
Edo State, where you have a large percentage of Muslims co-habiting with
Christians.
Anyone, who is
familiar with Auchi, Agbede and neighbouring environs in Edo State, will
observe that Islam is taken very seriously and practiced to the letters.
Although, Muslims are in the majority in these towns, adequate room is made for
other religion to flourish. In view of the forgoing, I grew up admixed
religious tolerance and harmony. My late father, Dominic Anekhorme
Omonhinmin, had a liberal nature, which I would say contributed to my unique
upbringing. While he was a practicing Christian, he granted my mum, Aminat, her
right to remain a Muslim and we the children the freedom to choose which God we
want to serve.
Although, I have
always been a practicing Christian myself right from inception, my first
contact with western education was in the Auchi Muslim Primary School, where it
was compulsory then, to study the Holy Qur’an. My late grandmother, Awuta
Elamah, whom I lived with as a child in Auchi, was quite fanatic about Islam.
She made sure that I had what could be regarded as the elementary knowledge of
the Holy Qur’an. As far as she was concerned, I had no choice in the matter and
for us to live in peace I needed to do her bidding. It was after this, that I
had the opportunity to attend a Christian Missionary Secondary School. This
unique upbringing gave me adequate insight into the two dominants religion in
Nigeria, Islam and Christianity. My fair knowledge of both books has no doubt
helped me in my adult life.
No religion as far
as I know, preaches or support violence or the killing of innocent souls.
My bible teaches
me, that in the beginning when God created heaven and earth, on page one of
Genesis, God started the creation process without any pre-existing things. He
began with nothing. With the presence of His Holy Spirit and the entrance of
His Word, creation happened. He brought order, light, life, and beauty out of
chaos and darkness. Every time He said, “Let there be...” it happened.
My bible says, not
only can God create something from nothing, but everything He creates is good.
Seven times in the story of creation, God said that what He had made was good.
If everything God makes is good, doesn’t that mean we are too? God created us
for good, and He is redeeming our life to that end. He is all about redemption.
And He never makes an error. Even if something appears to ruin or pervert what
God had made. He provides us a way back to complete restoration.
Anybody familiar
with the Deeper Life Bible Ministry and its doctrine, will very well say, that
salvation of mankind, righteousness’ and holiness without which no man can see
God, is centre to its teaching. From the head of the church to the ordinary
member, deliberate efforts are made to practice what is preached. One
therefore, wonders what is the rationale behind the attack on members of the
church, who were barely carrying out a night vigil in their church, in
accordance with the Christian doctrines.
As if having a
premonition of the event to come, Pastor William F. Kumuyi, the General
Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Ministry, on Wednesday 16th April,
2012, expressed his concern over the worrisome development in the country. He
said in a press statement that “It has become imperative for all
Nigerians to join hands quickly in moving the nation away from the precarious
knife-edge on which she is now seemingly placed and rein-in dispositions that
are dysfunctional to our well-being. The endless debates and energy-sapping
controversies over restructuring, resource control, revenue allocation formula,
and ethnic nationalities and so on must not be allowed to imperil the posterity
of this great nation”.
As if Pastor Kumuyi
saw the present savagery coming, he stressed in the same statement that “Every
society seeks to resolve crises and conflicts usually through dialogue. And wherever
this fails, or where contesting parties refuse this option, the portents have
always been very dire. It led to wars and bloodshed, which have merely served
to expose the savagery of the depraved human nature. I have always been
intrigued by the action of combatants who eventually revert to the negotiating
table, after a needless and clearly avoidable bloodletting”. The Deeper Life
Bible Ministry ministers are all in league with the church General Overseer in
the effort to make our society a better place.
For example, in the
Bariga Province where I worship, Pastor Felix Ojebisi, the Group Co-ordinator
of that arm of the church, is known to have organised various health programmes
that have benefited and brought lot of succour to the Muslim members of that
community and their families. Bariga, has a large population of Muslim in
Lagos. It is therefore amazing, why a church like this, could be targeted for
any form of an attack.
Well, Revelation 2:10 says, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown
of life.”
Make sure the hull of your
convictions can withstand the stress of collisions. Builders of the Titanic
should have been so wise. The luxury liner sank because contractors settled for
cheap rivets. Rivets are the glue that holds the steel plates together. Facing
a shortage of quality bolts, the builders used substandard ones that popped
their heads on impact with the iceberg.
How sturdy are the bolts of your
belief? Reinforce them with daily Bible readings, regular worship, and earnest
communion with God.
All things, big and small, flow out
of the purpose of God and serve His good will. When the world appears out of
control, it isn’t. We can trust God and Him alone!
Mr. Omonhinmin is a
Media Consultant based in Lagos.
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