Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Joseph Hayab, has stressed the need for moderation and respect in public discussion, especially regarding religious and political statements.
Hayab made this assertion on Monday when he appeared as a guest in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’.
The Christian leader was reacting to a comment made by an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, who in a video circulating on social media, said whoever does not want to accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket should leave Nigeria because Nigeria belongs to them.
According to him, while past statements have been offensive, the addition of the derogatory term, ‘infidel’ escalates the issue, calling for honest dialogue with open-minded individuals and clerics.
“We have always been tolerant of this, and I want to take us back.
“We have had the worst of these statements. But we have to be moderate. We have to be careful when we come to public space.
“Honestly speaking, if Jingir had said, ‘look, let’s vote for our Muslim brothers to show we are strong’, it wouldn’t have been offensive than adding the term ‘infidel’.
“The moment he went out of just campaigning and insulting, then it turns the story different.
“But we are saying this as Christians that we’ve had this for a long time, we’ve suffered this for a long time, we are familiar with this for a long time,” he said.
CAN breaks silence over Sheikh Jingir’s Muslim-Muslim ticket comment