By Tsofeed Adeshina Mustapha
A Christian, Peter Ibrahim Gyendyeng, built a Juma’at Mosque for Muslims in Plateau State as a gesture of peace and coexistence.
And understandably, many Muslims are happy, celebrating and commending him.
Beautiful! I am happy too.
But hold on small!
Let us turn the table.
If tomorrow a wealthy Muslim builds a beautiful church for Christians in the same spirit of peaceful coexistence, will we Muslims celebrate him with the same energy?
Will our comment sections say:
“Masha Allah! What a wonderful gesture of peace!”
Or will somebody quickly open the Department of Kafir Certification?
Will another person start assigning him a permanent apartment in hellfire?
My people, peace cannot be sweet only when we are the beneficiaries.
If we applaud a Christian for helping Muslims build a mosque, intellectual honesty demands that we respect a Muslim who peacefully helps Christians practise their faith too.
Nobody has to abandon his religion.
Nobody has to pretend all religions are the same.
But peaceful coexistence must be a two-way street.
Don’t demand tolerance when you’re receiving it and suddenly discover “theological problems” when it’s your turn to give it.
If kindness is beautiful when it benefits your religion, it should not become kufr when the kindness crosses the road.
Well done, Mr. Gyendyeng. This is the Africa we should be building.
– Taoheed Adeshina Mustapha is a Doctor, humanity advocate, public educator and philanthropist
