Before we rise from our executive meeting this afternoon we wish to communicate to you the following as a matter of urgency, and urge you to give it deepest consideration and widest publicity:

The recent events in our country have shown once more the need to intensify inter-religious dialogue in the country. You will recall that at our Annual convention of August 2002, where theme was Mission and Dialogue, we were privileged to be addressed by His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze. The Cardinal emphasized on the need for inter-religious dialogue in its different dimensions in our country. We on our part resolved to give this apostolate an important position in our movement especially be reaching out to Muslim Students in our midst.

Today, we are facing a situation where the opinion of one journalist expressed in one newspaper about a world event called Miss World contest led to the destruction of life and property in Kaduna on the pretext of religion. Assuming that this journalist offended the sensitivities of some of our Muslim brothers, is there no way of dealing with such cases within the law of the land? What has the Christian Churches got to do with the opinion of the journalist? Why have innocent citizens got to loose their lives for the opinion of a journalist whom they do not even know, and whose opinion they may not even head? How does that become a religious issue that led to such wanton destruction of Christian Churches and worse still, the killing of Christians, including a Rev. Father?

We have no reason to believe that this is a religiously motivated crisis. For us, it is a typical manipulation of religion for selfish political motives. We have no reason to believe that well-meaning Muslims in this country are in support of this mayhem. Some of them have already condemned it in unequivocal terms.

We must intensify our dialogue with our brothers and sisters of the Muslim religion so as to seek together the ways of preventing any further manipulation of religion for selfish political motives.

Further, we urge you to demand from our leaders a concerted effort at tracking down those murderers and arsonist who disguised under religious garbs to commit the crime. Our leaders must track down those who were behind these crimes, those who have made inflammatory statements that encouraged the criminals and those who supported them in their crimes, and bring them to book, irrespective of their position in state, society or religion. They must be brought to account for their deeds. Murderers and arsonists must not be allowed to hide under the glorious name of religion. Neither the Christian nor the Muslim religion preaches murder or arson.

Christians and Muslims must therefore join hand in preventing these opportunists from dragging the names of our religions in the mud.

Oge Ndupu
National President

Chinyerem Iphy Okereke
National Secretary

Hypolite Adigwe (Msgr)
National Chaplain
December 16 2002