Muslims and Christian women in Jalingo Local Government Area have formed an association to further unite the communities.
The women formed the association with the aim of building understanding, peace and unity among the followers of the two faiths in the area.
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The chairperson of the unity group, Madam Ajona Kasari Yakubu told North East Trust in an interview that they initiated the group as part of their efforts to address intolerance among the followers especially the youths.
She said Muslim and Christian women, as mothers, have a great role to play in encouraging peaceful coexistence among the communities in the area.
Yakubu further told North East Trust that their children will learn to respect one another when they see their parents relating peacefully.
“We as mothers have a role to play in encouraging our sons and daughters to relate peacefully irrespective of their religious and ethnic background.,
“We are also concerned with agents of destruction especially politicians who use young persons to cause trouble and we are discouraging our sons and daughters from listening to such evil people,” she said.
She lamented that it is always the children of the common man that are used as tools of destruction and political thugs while the elites and the rich send their children to the best schools.
She said the group has introduced visits to houses of Christians and Muslims on a weekly basis where issues of mutual understanding are discussed and also introduced revolving loans to support women in the group.
She said that the group has also intervened in successfully resolving disputes between families in both Muslim and Christian homes.
“We are now seeing Christians and Muslims youths coexisting peacefully that has to do with preaching by members of group to their children and wards”
She urged their husbands to take a cue from the initiative of the group and come up with a forum that could improve on understanding between followers of the two faiths .
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Jalingo Local Government Area, Alhaji Nasiru Bobboji, has lauded the women for taking the initiative.
He commended the group when they paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
The chairman explained that his council will support the group in its good vision of encouraging peaceful coexistence among followers of Islam and Christianity.
He promised to pay for the registration of the group to enable it have legal backing and urged husbands to support the group.
