Sheikh Nuruddeen Lemu, Director of Research and Training at the Dawah Institute has stressed the importance of loving one’s neighbour, regardless of faith.
Lemu spoke at the interreligious dialogue organised by the Mission and Dialogue Department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) to mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate in Abuja on Thursday.
The event, themed “60 Years of Nostra Aetate: A Journey of Discovery, Dialogue and Friendship,“ was co-hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Ufuk Dialogue (representing the Muslim community), and the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).
The gathering itself symbolised interfaith partnership.
The event aims to usher in a new era of interfaith cooperation in Nigeria.
“This new era is built not on suspicion and division, but on the recognition of shared humanity and God’s infinite mercy,” Sheik Lemu who is also the Assistant General Secretary of the Islamic Education Trust, Niger State said.
Lemu recounted the story of the Good Samaritan and Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) teachings on the rights of neighbours.
He emphasised that true honour to God comes from God-consciousness, not tribal or religious affiliation.
Quoting the Quran (Chapter 5, Verse 48), Lemu reminded participants, “God could have made us all one community, but He chose to make us different.”
He lauded Nostra Aetate as a groundbreaking and initially controversial document that endured due to the Catholic Church’s respect for authority and commitment to dialogue.
“For the first time, Muslim scholars could read a Church document and say, ‘We agree with everything here.’ It was a breath of fresh air, not just for Christians but for all people of faith,” he said.
Lemu highlighted how Nostra Aetate recognised Muslims as worshipping the one living God, revering Abraham, Mary, and Jesus (peace be upon them), and being committed to prayer, fasting, and charity.
He called for mutual understanding, rejection of discrimination, and healing of past hostilities, principles essential for Nigeria’s future.
Lemu urged for a Nigerian declaration akin to Nostra Aetate, one that publicly affirmed shared values of Muslims and Christians and served as a foundation for national unity.
“Nigeria has the largest populations of Muslims and Christians in Africa.
“We need a declaration that recognises our differences as God’s will and our shared values as the path forward,” he said.
He urged participants to reject religious phobias and misdiagnoses that fueled conflict and to work together for justice, compassion, and the common good.
The cleric called on faith leaders to move beyond religious exclusivism and embrace shared values at the heart of Islam and Christianity.
He warned against the dangers of exclusivism, where some believe God is “our God and not the God of everybody,” reducing the infinite to human biases.
“We bring God down to our own myopic views. God supports only our our group, our way,” he said.
He stressed that true piety lied in humility and compassion, acknowledging that every faith had both exclusivists and inclusivists.
Bishop Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, expressed gratitude for the interfaith gathering, emphasising regular engagement.
Kaigama urged Nigerians to focus on what united rather than divided them, saying, “Who I see before me are brothers and sisters, no more, no less.”
He highlighted the shared beliefs of Nigeria’s two major religions, Islam and Christianity, including belief in one God, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reverence for Mary.
Kaigama lamented that people often focused on differences rather than shared values, which only widened divides.
He shared personal anecdotes illustrating the power of interfaith cooperation, such as a Muslim friend helping him repair his cassock before an important talk in Belgium.
“Here is a Muslim stitching the cassock of an Archbishop, and we are moving together. What is that, if not dialogue of life?” he said.
He also cited experiences from Senegal and the Gambia, where Muslim-majority nations warmly welcomed Christian delegations and observed Christian holidays publicly.
“Religion should bind us together. It shouldn’t separate us. Religion should motivate us to bind to our neighbour and to God,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, described Nostra Aetate as a bold invitation to see one another as fellow pilgrims in search of truth and peace.
He shared stories of interfaith hospitality, including a Muslim shopkeeper in Istanbul who offered him kindness upon seeing his Roman collar.
Banjo highlighted the enduring friendship of Mr Emrah Ilgen, President of Ufuk Dialogue, a devout Muslim who attended both Pope Francis’s funeral and Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration, exemplifying mutual respect.
He acknowledged Nigeria’s rich religious diversity but warned it could become a threat if not managed with wisdom, respect, and justice.
Banjo lamented ongoing violence and discrimination in the name of religion and called on leaders who remained silent to act.
He urged attendees to be “the voice of the voiceless” and to work together for peace, justice, and human dignity.
Banjo reminded all that Nostra Aetate’s closing message remained urgent: no one should be mistreated because of their race, culture, or religion.
Nostra Aetate, also known as the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in Oct. 1965 to promote interfaith dialogue and peace-building within the Catholic Church.
