Muslim group celebrates Xmas with Christians
A Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has felicitated with Christians in the country as they celebrate Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
In a statement made available on Wednesday, MURIC also called for a peaceful coexistence among all the faith-based organisations in the country.
“We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) seize the opportunity of this august occasion to remind Nigerians of the high pedestal on which Jesus is placed in Islam. The Glorious Qur’an describes Jesus as a ‘righteous prophet’ (Qur’an 6:85) and he is ‘held in honour in this world and the hereafter and of those nearest to Allah (3:45)’,” it said.
The group reaffirms its resolve to respect the rights of people of other faiths to observe their festivals and the attendant holidays without let or hindrance.
“We call for peaceful coexistence and dissociate ourselves from any group which carries out or encourages attacks on Christians and their places of worship as this stands in contradistinction from the true teachings of Islam,” MURIC added.
It charged Christian leaders to join hands with the leadership of Nigerian Muslims in the struggle to expel all vestiges of aggression from the land, adding: ”We have no doubt that religious leaders can use the powerful tools of faith to save Nigerians from insecurity, ignorance, hunger and disease.’
Wednesday (25 Dec) and Thursday (26 Dec) was declared as public holidays in Nigeria to enable Christians to celebrate.
