Barka da Sallah

Millions of Nigerian Muslims have joined the rest of the global Muslim community in the celebration of the annual Eid el Kabir festival. It commemorates Allah’s testing of prophet Ibrahim’s faith and loyalty to Him when the Almighty asked the prophet to give up his only son as an offering. Ibrahim passed the test and it was credited to him as righteousness. In his son’s place, Allah provided a ram for Ibrahim to sacrifice. Eid el Kabir is, therefore, a celebration of faith and obedience.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government declared last Friday and today as a public holiday. The festivities climaxed on Friday with the stoning of the devil on Mount Arafat in the Holy Land. Back home, the faithful kicked off the festivities with prayers at eid grounds across the nation and the slaughtering of rams. Political amd religious leaders gave goodwill messages.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in a Friday Eid message to Muslims in particular, and Nigerians in general, assured of his government’s resolve to deliver on an election promise to give Nigerians the “Nigeria of our dream.’’ To achieve that goal, however, he asked Nigerians to “rise against the odds”, keep prejudices aside and strengthen the bonds of friendship and unity. He said, “On the joyous occasion of this year’s Eid el-Kabir, I appeal to all Nigerians to rise against the odds, keep our prejudices aside and strengthen the bonds of friendship and unity to keep our country together.
“For Muslims all over the world, this celebration is to commemorate the trials and triumph of Prophet Ibrahim. As we celebrate, I sincerely believe that our nation can make rapid progress on all fronts if we re-enact the exemplary virtues, typified by Prophet (Abraham) Ibrahim, through his sacrifice, patience, steadfastness, generosity and obedience to Allah’s command and constituted authority.”
Buhari seized the day to thank “all Nigerians” for praying for his recovery and continuing to “extend their goodwill and support” after his return to the country on Aug. 19. “Iindeed, your fervent and sincere prayers, which cut across religious, political and ethnic divides, have energised me to re-dedicate myself and this administration to the task of building a great Nigeria.”
In his sallah message, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, implored Nigerian Muslims to “reclaim” their religion that “is being hijacked by violent extremists”. He said protecting the image of Islam “is the greatest challenge” Muslims have to contend with today. According to him, the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east has destroyed everything humane about Islam.
Besides, Atiku complained that the activity of the terrorist group has wrecked the economy of the North and destroyed social life in the North-east, the epicenter of the Boko Haram violence. He advised parents to watch out for extremists in their midst on the prowl for innocent children they will radicalise. He said impressionable and vulnerable students must be kept far away from “virulent ideas”. Such ideas, he said, were “as destructive as a bomb.” He stressed the importance of brotherhood and community spirit. “We must learn to see ourselves as brothers and sisters from the same heritage, who must come to terms with the African proverb ‘a family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break’”.
We at Peoples Daiily see calls by our leaders during this auspicious festive season as timely. Today, more than at any time, Nigeria’s unity is threatened by centrifugal forces – forces that are exploiting our “winter of discontent” to foment civil strife. This is characterised by the prevalence of hate speech, setting one region against another. To stop the stoking of this fire, the government must remove the tinder fodder that has been stokèpiled. This is why Buhari must be seen to walk his talk about delivering the “Nigeria of our dreams”.
At the indiviual level, Nigerians must do their part to sustain the ‘my brother’s keeper’ spirit. This sallah festive period provides a special opportunity for us to make every Nigerian feel they have a home in every part of this country. We must eschew religious bigotry, and condemn politicians who use ethnic and religious sentiments to gain power. Barka da sallah.

from peoples daily