The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on religious communities across Nigeria to work together to combat hate speech.
He warned that the growing trend of insulting religious leaders and spreading divisive rhetoric poses a serious threat to peaceful coexistence.
The Sultan, who spoke through the Deputy Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Salisu Shehu, made the call on Monday in Abuja after receiving the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
He said: “And one of the things that we have discussed was the need to fight hate speech, because largely hate speech has been most injurious to peaceful coexistence in the country. It has created what you may call a perceptual and relational crisis among faith communities in the country.
“So all religious and faith communities must work together to fight hate speech, especially a growing phenomenon an unfortunate one that we’ve been witnessing; a situation whereby some individuals stand up to insult religious leaders, leaders that are well respected in their own faith communities.
“And therefore, there was a call that we need to tame these kinds of people and to make sure that we stop them from insulting, you know, not just important religious figures, but even an ordinary person, there should not be insulting.”
The meeting, according to him, was aimed at strengthening interfaith cooperation, promoting peaceful coexistence and deepening collaboration between Muslim and Catholic leaders in addressing challenges confronting Nigeria and the global community.
Sultan also identified fake news as another major challenge threatening national peace.
The Sultan stated that Muslim and Catholic leaders agreed that sustained dialogue, mutual respect and collaboration among faith communities remain critical to preserving national unity and strengthening peace in Nigeria.
He added that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working together through interfaith platforms to combat hate speech, fake news and other divisive tendencies capable of undermining peaceful coexistence in the country.
On his part, Archbishop Gallagher described the engagement as productive and expressed optimism about the role religious leaders could play in fostering peace and stability in Nigeria.
“The visit has been very, very good. I was delighted to be invited by His Eminence, the Sultan.
“We had a very frank and illuminating conversation, and it was good to hear that many of our positions regarding the role of religious leaders, both on the Catholic side and the Muslim side, coincide.
“For me, this is a reason for optimism regarding the religious cohesion of the country and our shared commitment to working for the good of all Nigerians.”
According to him, Christian and Muslim leaders share a common conviction that they must work together in advancing the common good of all Nigerians.
