NO RELIGION SAYS YOU SHOULD COERCE OR PRESSURISE OR FORCE SOMEBODY ...

Amb. Yusuf Maitama Sule
No religion says you should coerce or pressurise or force somebody to embrace it
By Our reporter
Sunday, May 22, 2011

He was one of those who the country who fought for the country?s independence and has been at the centre of national events ever since. A fearless, straight talker, Maitama Sule has seen it all as far as the socio-political and even economic trajectory of the country is concerned. He spoke to us once in Abuja. He pilled the current national issues layer after layer in such dispassionate, clinical, if brutal manner and he came out a verdict: damning.

?The institution of harmony has broken down,? he said. ?Respect for elders and constituted authority, which used to be a cardinal principle in our society, is now at the lowest ebb,? he added. And he submitted: ?Honesty, where it does not pay, has become meaningless; simpletons of revolt looms large in the horizon. In short, today, there is meaninglessness in philosophy, insecurity in polity; chaos in politics; immorality in society; corruption in economy and even frustration in art and lack of creativity in literature. We are no longer ourselves.? And in these days of seeming religious intolerance, we asked him this question: What do you believe, what is your staying power? To this, he gave this treatise. He spoke with BRUCE MALOGO. Hear him:

I believe in my religion and I want everybody who belongs to any religion to believe in his religion, because religion teaches you to be morally sound, responsible, reliable, honest and dependable; it teaches you to be your brother?s keeper, a good neighbour and so on. All the religions of God teach the same moral values, all the religions of God are basically the same; the objective or purpose is to serve one true God; the modes of worship may differ but the objective is the same. Live in peace: peace with your mind, peace with your God, peace with your fellow man, is the teaching of Christianity. The word Islam means peace. ?Love thy neighbour as you love thyself? is another teaching of Christianity- neighbour has not been qualified- anybody could be your neigbour.

The holy prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW) has told us: ?The angel Jibril (Gabriel) emphasize the importance of good neigbourliness to me.? I began to think that there might be a revelation from God that I never could inherit a neighbour. The same teaching isn?t it? Being your brother?s keeper is common teaching in both religions. There is no religion of God that says you should coerce or pressurize or force somebody to embrace it. The Christians are taught: ?If you go and preach the word of God to them and they refuse to listen pick up your shoes and dust them and leave them in peace.? And then, of course, there is a version in Islam. It says: ?There is no compulsion in religion; it is a matter of conviction.? The essence of every religion of God is love.

The Christians are taught, it does not matter how much you may worship God even if your worship can move mountains you will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless you have love in your heart; the Muslims are taught, if you want to get the forgiveness and blessing of God, you must have love in your heart. Somebody asked, ?Love for my kind, my kind alone?? He said: ?No, Love for mankind.? Indeed, a Muslim saint once said: ?I see myself as a Christian and sometimes as a Jew; in my heart is Islam, but love is my religion. Love is my faith.? That is what is lacking in this country and that is what we need badly, but is sadly lacking. Love. Let us teach love, let us preach love, let us live love, and let the rulers know.

All of these are in the teachings of our religions, that is why I said my philosophy is my religion and let all people have that as their own philosophy. Let the Christians abide by the teaching of Christianity ? they would be responsible people, good citizens. Let the Muslims follow the teachings of Islam ? they will love their people, be their brothers keepers, be good, honest and so on. Let the leaders follow the doctrine of justice; let them have justice. I will leave two things for our leaders: one, the world can never be governed by force, never by fear, even never by power; in the end what governs is the mind, what is conquered is the spirit. The weapon of governing the mind and conquering the spirit are justice and fair play. Justice and fair play are the only pillars on which any successful administration rests.

Power can remain in the hand of an infidel if he is fair and just, but it will not remain in the hand of a believer if he is unfair and unjust. And of course, leaders must be prepared to listen to people. Only quite recently in was in South Africa, where I got an award, the president of that country made a statement, which really impressed me, and that is what I brought back home. President Zuma said: ?If we defer or falter, we expect ordinary members of the public, the academicians and the media to sound the bells of warning.? Good leaders heed such warnings and respond constructively. They do not see themselves as being above public?s criticisms.

Source: http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/?p=86003

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