A faith-based organisation, Nasrulahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), has trained 200 Muslims in southern Nigeria on sound inter-faith relationship and peaceful co-existence.
The five-day training for southern Nigeria Muslims, which began on Dec. 21, was held at TAAS Group of Schools, Apata, Ibadan.
The eighth edition of the annual religion camp was aimed at enlightening and empowering Muslims on true understanding of Islam for spiritual development and welfare of mankind.
The facilitators of the programme tagged, ‘Understand your Religion Training Camp’, were drawn from Islamic Education Trust and Dawah Institute of Nigeria in Minna as well as NASFAT.
Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, the NASFAT’s Chief Missioner Worldwide, said the objective of the training was to inculcate the concept of good inter-faith relations and peaceful co-existence in participants.
‘‘As a faith-based organisation, NASFAT, through this programme, intends to make participants to see themselves as Muslims by choice and not by chance.
‘‘To develop their understanding of Islamic religion to be able to come up with counter narratives to some misconceptions about Islam, especially, the notions that Islam is a violence-driven religion,’’ he said.
He asserted that the programme would expose participants to the critical thinking tools in Islam, known as the principle of Islamic Jurisprudence.
Onike said this related extensively to the objectives of Shariah, ethics of disagreement in Islam, cultural imperatives and Islam as well as the lawful habits and prohibitions in Islam.
According to him, participants are also exposed to Islam with purpose, innovations and creativity in Islam, generous tolerance in Islam and handling a new Muslim.
‘‘Others are female genital cut and Islam, clearing of misconceptions about women in Islam among other issues’’.
Alhaja Samiat Mumuni, NASFAT Global Women Affairs Secretary and Dr Rahmat Adisa, 2018 Training Programme Coordinator, expressed satisfaction with the impressive turnout of participants at the programme.
Mumuni said the organisers’ expectation was that participants would leverage on the basic and advanced knowledge acquired during the training in their daily religious obligations.
‘‘We hope participants will exhibit the knowledge acquired in their inter-personal dealings with people around them irrespective of differences in religion, creed or tribe,’’ Mumuni said.
Adisa, who is also NASFAT Global Education Affairs Secretary, expressed satisfaction with the turnout for the edition, saying it showed appreciation of the value derived by participants over the years.
The event, which ended on Tuesday, attracted more than 200 Muslim faithful comprising women, youths and Imams, NASFAT and non-NASFAT members from all walks of life across southern part of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the NASFAT management has said that the second leg of the programme designed for participants from across the Northern part of the country would begin immediately on Tuesday in Kano. With reports by NAN
