An Imam and a Pastor Make Peace
By IGE on 30 June 2009
The reconciliation between Pastor James Movel Wuye and Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa began when they met unexpectedly in 1995. 
The two Nigerian clergymen had been sworn enemies for several years; indeed, each had attempted to have the other killed. By truthfully acknowledging their theological differences and exposing detrimental misperceptions for the past decade, the pastor and the imam have set forth a model for reconciliation between Christians and Muslims across Nigeria and throughout the world. They believe peace will be achieved through education and dialogue. Wuye and Ashafa have appealed to a scriptural-based reconciliation method in order to address justice in the way that it was first violated: through religion. Wuye and Ashafa have become religious leaders who are "redeeming" religion's role in Nigeria.
IGE invited Pastor James and Imam Ashafa to be the keynote speakers at this year's annual Global Leadership Forum: "Evangelicals and Muslims: Conversations on Respect, Reconciliation, and Religious Freedom," which was co-sponsored by the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and IGE's Center for Global Education. During Tuesday evening's program on 16 June, "Voices of Christian-Muslim Understanding," the pastor and imam explored the concept of the marketplace of ideas, relating religious freedom to that of a mixed salad where all parts are equally valued and people of faith can stand side-by-side respectfully marketing their "product." They urged those who would turn to hate and violence to "kill your enemy with love." On Wednesday 17 June 2009, Pastor James and Imam Ashafa contributed to a panel on reconciliation, drawing from their on-going experiences in Nigeria and recent involvement in Kenya's post-election violence.
In addition to their participation in Global Leadership Forum 2009, IGE organized and sponsored Pastor James and Imam Ashafa during a discussion coordinated by the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State and a bipartisan Congressional briefing for the House Committee on Foreign Relations. The pastor and imam also visited IGE's headquarters and spoke to our interns and fellows. They talked about the necessity of addressing irreconcilable differences in Christianity and Islam in order to uncover common ground between the two faith traditions.
To learn more about the pastor and imam's story of reconciliation click here http://www.rfiaonline.org/archives/issues/7-2/534-imam-pastor-make-peace
Last updated 02 July 2009