IMPERATIVES OF SUSTAINABLE

PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN

CRISIS-RIDDEN COMMUNITIES:
EXPOUNDING THE ISLAMIC
BY
APPROACHSALISU
TO SHEHU,
PEACE-BUILDING
Ph.D.
Department of Education, BUK
AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
08023563251, O8069693033
sshehu2002@yahoo.com
 Being a Paper Presented at a Two-Day
Symposium on Contemporary Challenges of
Nigeria and the Way Forward for the
Muslim Ummah, Organized by the Kaduna
State Branch of the Muslim Ummah @
Arewa House, Kaduna, 19th -20th May, 2012
(28th-29th, Jimada II, 1433)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful. All praise is due to Him, Lord of
the worlds. May His peace and blessings be
upon His Beloved Messenger- Muhammad
(s.a.w), his household, all his Companions,
and all those that follow their footsteps in
righteousness up to the Day of
Resurrection.
 Introduction
 The search for peace or the quest for it is as
old as man. When Allah was sending down
Adam and Eve from the Heaven to the
earth He said to them that mutual hostility
and enmity were to be a principal feature
amongst their progeny (Qur’an, 2:37).
 Introduction contd.
 And thus, as was stated by Allah, the first
manifestation of this enmity was the
killing of Abel by his brother Cain
(Qur’an, 5: 27-32). This was to be first
challenge to peaceful coexistence in the
history of mankind.
 Inevitability of plurality
 Heterogeneity in Creation as Mashi-ah al-
Kauniyyah, so, multiplicity or plurality as the
Will of Allah generally in creation – the
singular and all-pervading characteristic of the
real-existential, and particularly among
mankind.
 Dimensions of Heterogeneity
 Heterogeneity among humans manifests in
various aspects/dimensions as follows:
 Sexual, racial and ethnic differences-
Qur’an, 49: 13.
 Differences in socio-economic status-
Qur’an, 43: 32
 differences in faith – Qur’an, 10: 99 ; 11:
118 and 119.
 Heterogeneity contd.
 Balancing those divergences and differences
and engendering harmonious co-existence in
spite of such differences (Harmony or unity in
diversity) as Mashi-ah al-Shar’iyyah –
Qur’an, 49: 11
 Peace is a virtue/value universally cherished and pursued
by all mankind
 .
 Man left alone without Divine Guidance can not engender
an enduring peace because of inherent weaknesses in him:
Injustice, wrong doing and ignorance, Qur’an, 33:72;
Selfishness, Greed and Avarice: (Qur’an, 100:6-8);
(Qur’an, 100:6-8); Haste, impatience and anxiety (Qur’an,
21:37); Incessant contention, controversy, and dispute
(Qur’an, 18:54).
 Allah is the absolute source of peace, and complete
submission to His will is the surest guarantee for peace
 Overview of Ethno-Religious
Conflict in Nigeria
 The civil war of 1966 as the first challenge
mutual trust, tolerance and peaceful
coexistence in Nigeria.
 With particular reference to Northern Nigeria:
Reverend Abubakar Bako/Kafanchan 1987 as
the most spectacular ignition point of ethno-
religious crisis.
The North as a Crisis- ridden Region

 The tripartite calamities that have befallen

the north: A region ravaged (i) by poverty,
(ii) ethno-religious violence and armed
conflict- a theater of killings, bloodbath and
community dispalcements, and (iii)
leaderlessness and disharmony- A region
under siege.
 Causes/ Faultlines of Ethno-religious
crises in Northern Nigeria
 Ethno-religious intolerance, bigotry and tensions.
 Struggle/scramble for scarce resources and
unjustified urge for domination and expansion.
 Struggle for power and dispute over political
positions.
 The obnoxious, intractable and indeed
mischievous indigene-settler issue.
 Manipulation of ethnic and religious
differences/faultlines by wicked religious and
political elements/leaders
 Pseudo-religiousity and sham scholarship
among religious activists- hate sermons and
hostile preachings.

 Election rigging and imposition of

unpopular people as leaders.
 Pathological hate, ethnic chauvinism and
ethnic jingoism.
 Crisis-ridden Communities: The
Flashpoints of Ethno-religious Conflicts
 As far as ethno-religious crises are concerned, the
flashpoints include the following:
 The Plateau: Jos North, Jos South, Barikin Ladi,
Riyom, Langtang, Yalwan Shendam, Dangi-
Kanam,(the 1st four are the most notorious,
 Southern Kaduna: Kafanchan, Zangon- Kataf
(Zonkwa), Kachia, Kaduna Metropolis.
 Bauchi: Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGAs.
 These are places in which communities have
severally been displaced in addition to wanton
carnage.
 Other less spectacular areas
 Adamawa: Numan, Lamorde (Tingno,
Waduku, etc.)
 Taraba, Benue and Nassarawa have had their
fair share,
 Catalogue of Ethno-religious
conflicts in Northern Nigeria
 Kasuwan Magani, 1982.
 Kafanchan, 1987 (with spill-over effects to
Kaduna metropolis, Zaria, Funtua and
Katsina), 1996, 2004, 2011.
 Numan: Tingno, Waduku, 1988
 Tafawa- Balewa, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2001,
2011 and 2012.
 Rinehart Bonnke Crisis in Kano, 1991.

 Zangon- Kataf, 1992 (2x – February and

June/July
 Kachia,
 Jos, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010,
2011. Spill-over effects to Bukuru, Barikin
Ladi, Riyom.
 Yalwan Shendam, 2004.
 Zonkwa, Matsirga, Mararraban Rido, Gidan
Maga, etc: 2011
From Bad to Worst: The metamorphosis
of ethno-religious conflicts in Northern
Nigeria
 In the 1980s: localized, small scale conflicts, death
counted in units and tens( no arson, no displacements,
no displacement camps), and use of local, primitive
weapons like swords, matchete, etc.
 In the 1990s: radius of conflict widening, deaths
counted in tens and hundreds, arson in small scale,
community displacements in small scale, no burning
or mutilation of dead bodies, restricted use of fire
arms,
 2000+ : Large scale carnage, genocidal
killings (death counted in hundreds and
thousands), real wickedness and savagery and
monumental display of hate, characterized by
burning and mutilation of dead bodies. Total
degeneration: Elimination of civility and
human nobility and honour. A real drift to
savagery and animalism; rampant use of huge
and sophisticated weapons and even explosive
devices both improvised and military-branded
 The humanitarian, social and economic
costs of ethno-religious conflitcs in
Northern Nigeria

 The destructive effects of the conflicts are

unimaginable, just as they are monumental:
 Mass killings of helpless, innocent civilians- men,
women, and children, the old and the sick- since
they are not real wars, no designated and trained
combatants, but trigger happy, ragtag militias and
ethno-religious bigots.
 Destruction of means of livelihood: No battle
fields- civilian settlements as battlefields-
markets, residential buildings,public
institutions, farmlands as targets of attack and
destruction.
 Entrenchment of Real Humanitarian crises:
Untold sufferings and pains, occasioned by the
lost of loved ones and breadwinners,
displacement and elimination of communities,
 Entrenchment of poverty and ignorance: soial
and economic dislocations, no schooling for
children, no peace of mind to settle down and
pursue a meaningful livelihood, etc.
 The Greatest Cost: Enthrenchment of hate,
planting of seed of permanent discord, mutual
distrust, suspicion and enmity.
 Disorientation of the Youth: Brought up on the
notion of hate, hostility and killing.
 Permanently divided communities? No-go
areas in Jos, Bauchi, Kaduna, etc.
 Triple tragedy: monumental loss of lives and
property, destruction of means of livelihood,
more expenditure on security that has
remained ever elusive,
 The real picture of the cost of
violence
 In the words of Mahathir Mohammad:
 “We read about war, we even see pictures and
TV coverage of war but we hardly ever get to
see the real sufferings of the victims of war,
We practically enjoy TV coverage of war
without thinking about of fellow humans just
like us who had been wounded and killed in
real life, not just on the cinema or TV
screens”.
 Mahathir says further:
 “We do not think of the smell of war, of the smell of
rotten bodies, of gangrenous legs and arms, because
our television can not bring these odours to our
comfortable sitting room. In fact the TV cameras
avoid showing the horrors resulting from the war.
Thety do not want to offend our sensitivities. Nor do
they record and broadcast the screams of pain of the
injured and the dying.
 A recurring decimal
 Why has the problem kept recurring? Has it
defied solutions or the right solutions have not
been applied? Or is it intractable?
 There can be many answers to these questions:
But what may not be in doubt is that:
 (i) There is actual failure of leadership and
absence of governance, and so
 (II) There is no justice in handling the issue as
there absence of rule of law in the land.
 Implications?
 State failure
 Anarchy
 The Islamic Approach to Peace
Building
 BACKGROUND AND FRAMEWORK:
The Position of Peace in Islam.

 Demonstrating the Position of Peace from the

Qur’anic Perspective:
 Peace as an attribute of God: Allah says:
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other
god, The Sovereign, The Holy One, The
Source of Peace (and Perfection)”.( Qur’an,
59: 23)
 Peace as a central element in the Qur’anic
Message: I.e. the Qur’an is a Guide to
peace: Allah says: “…There hath come to you
from Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous
Book; wherewith Allah guideth all who seek
His good pleasure to ways of peace, and
leadeth them out of darkness, by His Will,
unto light- guideth them to a path that is
straight” (Qur’an, 5: 15 and 16).
 Heaven as the Abode of Peace: Allah says:
“But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace: He
doth guide whom He pleaseth to a way that is
straight” (Qur’an,10:25)
 Peace as the Prescribed Salutation for Muslims
and the People of Paradise:
 (i) When Muslims come across one another they
should salute themselves with peace. Allah says
“When those come to thee who believe in our signs,
say “peace be on you”. (Qur’an, 6:54);
 (ii) When seeking permission to enter one another’s
house/privacy, that should be done with the word of
peace. Allah says: “But if ye enter, salute each other
(with peace). A greeting of blessing and purity as
from Allah.” (Qur’an, 24:61). Other verses that
convey the same teaching include: 25:63; 28:56.
 And while in Paradise believers salute
themselves with peace, e.g. (Qur’an, 39:73;
10: 9-10).
 Peace as the Muslim’s response to the
ignorant or rather stupid confrontation,
(Qur’an, 25: 63; 28: 55).
 Prophet Muhammad’s Prophethood as
Universal Mercy: Peace as a necessary
component of this Mercy: Allah says: “And
We have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except
as a Mercy to the worlds”. (Qur’an, 21:107)
 The renowned translator and commentator of
the Qur’an, Sheikh Yusuf Ali explains the
shades of meanings conveyed by the word-
salam- as it appears in various verses of the
Qur’an. All the meanings as can be seen
below have direct significance and bearing to
global and transcendental peace. He says:
 Salam, translated “peace”, has a much wide
signification. It includes (i) A sense of security and
permanence, which is unknown in this life; (ii)
Soundness, freedom from defects, perfection as in the
word salim; (iii) Preservation, salvation, deliverance,
as in the word sallama; (iv) Salutation, accord with
those around us; (v) Resignation, in the sense that we
are satisfied and not discontented, besides (vi) The
ordinary meaning of peace, i.e. freedom from any
jarring element.(Note 2512, p.869)
THE LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD
AS AN EMBODIMENT OF PEACE
 Personal conducts and characters that have
direct bearing to peace: Compassion,
kindheartedness, benevolence, magnanimity,
clemency and forbearance, pardon,
cheerfulness and humility, etc. Allah says:
“And indeed, you are of great moral character”
(Qur’an68:4)
 Specific conducts that teach us about
peaceful coexistence
 i) Kindness to neighbours, regardless of
their faith and religious affiliations, social
status and race or ethnic identity.
 ii) Kindness to parents and relatives even if
they were non- Muslims.
 Specific Islamic teachings that have directing
bearing on peace:
 i) Teachings on justice and fairness.
 ii) Teachings against racism, ethnicism and
tribalism.
 iii) Teachings against religious bigotry and
fanaticism.
 Pardon the wrong doer, give to the miserly one,
and link up with the boycotter: “Good and evil are
never the same…” (Qur’an, 41:34)
 Essential Conditions/Principles in Peace-
making/Peace building in Islam
 Justice in dealing with the others (even if they were
hostile) and in mediation/arbitration between
disputing /conflicting parties. (Qur’an, 5:2; 49: 9).
 Peace-building should be a reciprocal process- (Qur’an,
60: 8 and 9; 8: 61)
 War and Defence as Stabilizing Factors and Meaures
for Peace Building: (Qur’an: 22: 39-41; 42: 39 – 42).
Prophet’s Leadership initiatives and political
activities on peaceful coexistence
 Memorandum for Peace: The Madinan
Constitution as a Model for Peaceful
Coexistence in a Pluralist Society
 Shaikh Yusuf al-Qardawi in his book- al-watan
wa’al-muwatana…. describes it as a “document built
on a foundation/principle of mutual co-existence,
mutual cooperation, mutual support/protection (in
times of peace or war) between Muslims on one hand
and their Jewish neighbours all of whom were
considered as bonafide citizens in the nascent
Madinan State, regardless of the differences in their
faith and race, and indeed even in their allegiance to
the State itself” (p. 25)
 Al-Qardawi further describes it as, “a
document considered by many scholars as the
first constitution in history, ever put in place,
that outlines the terms, patterns and
dimensions of relationship in the emergent
pluralist/multi-religious/multi-racial Madinan
State”.
 Based on the research and documentation of
Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah, the Madinan
Constitution contains 46 articles.
 For the purpose of this conference articles 22,
25,and 37, are of particular relevance. They
read respectively thus:
 Article 22: “That it is not permissible upon
any believer that accepts this document and its
provisions to support a miscreant (criminal) or
to protect him. And that whoever does that
shave have the curse of Allah and His wrath
on the Day of Resurrection”
 Article 25: “That the Jews of Banu Awf
together with their Muslim counterparts
constitute a nationality. However, the Jews
shall profess/retain their faith/religion, while
the Muslims also shall have their
faith/religion, so also their friends/alliances
and themselves except he that wrongs himself,
and would thus have thrown only himself and
his family into jeopardy”
 Article 37: “That the Jews shall have upon them a
state levy, so also the Muslims shall have upon them
a state levy, and that there shall be upon both parties
(the obligation) to support and protect all those that
are party to this very document, and that there should
abide amongst themselves mutual counselling and
understanding for the promotion of righteous conduct
as against sin/wrong doing”.
 ii)
 Strategic Negotiation for Peace: The
Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
 Diplomacy as Peaceful Approach to
Da’awah: Emissaries to Kings and
Emperors.
 Extending the Olive Branch: Declaration of
Amnesty and State Pardon for Sworn
Enemies: The conquest of Makkah as a Case
Study.
 Recommendations
 There should be designed a comprehensive
blueprint for educating and enlightening both
Muslims and non-Muslims alike about the
teachings of both Islam and Christianity on peace
and the essentials of peace-making/building and
conflict resolution and management
 Governments at all levels and within their
respective jurisdictions (Federal, State and Local)
should ensure that conflict cases, issues and conflict
situations are handled with justice, fairness, courage
and fearlessness, and that such cases are also treated
with despatch.
 Leaders must demonstrate exemplary
qualities, especially in terms of
trustworthiness and truthfulness in dealing
with their subjects and in the handling of
state resources. They should show
commitment, sensitivity, responsiveness and
responsibility to the welfare and needs of
their subjects. They should demonstrate
genuine and real concern for the plight and
sufferings of the common man.
 There should be designed and put in place
programmes and machineries for the
reorientation of the youth, particularly n the
following areas: a) leadership and social
responsibility training; b) civic and
political reorientation programmes; c)
Multi-cultural and peace education and d)
self-reliance, economic empowerment and
entrepreneurial skills.
 As a people we should learn to respect our terms
and conditions of living together- the Constitution
must be respected and the supremacy of the rule of
law should be really observed.
 There should be put in place a platform/machinery
for mutual and meaningful dialogue between
Muslims and Christians on different issues and
matters affecting us as they arise.
 Alhamdulillah.