

























Abstract�
In this paper, we assess some factors that are obstacles to 
healthy Christian – Muslim relations in a pluralistic 
society such as Nigeria. For several years there have been 
crises between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, most 
especially in the northern part. Christianity and Islam are 
two of the three major religions in Nigeria, the African 
Traditional Religion being the third. Sufce to point out 
here that Christians, Muslims, and adherents of the 
African Traditional Religion live together, buy and sell in 
the same markets, work in ofces together, and sometimes 
even inter-marry in various communities in Nigeria. In 
this kind of scenario one still wonders the sometimes show 
of hatred between Christians and Muslims. Tracing 
historically the two religions under focus it is pertinent to 
note that both religions are called the religions of the 
Book and share a common heritage. The research 
methodology adopted here are socio-historical, and 
evaluative approaches. One of the research ndings is 
that authentic education of adherents by both religions is 
the panacea to healthy relations between the Christians 
and Muslims in Nigeria. This work concludes with the fact 
that the existing religious climate in Nigeria is a direct 
result of certain actions, utterances, and insinuations all 

UNITY IN DIVERSITY IN CHRISTIAN –MUSLIM 
RELATIONS IN NIGERIA AS A PATHWAY 

TO AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE

Felix Ehimare ENEGHO, Ph.D.
Professor of Church History and Mission Studies

Research Fellow, Department of Christian Spirituality, 
Church History and Missiology

University of South Africa, Pretoria
felixenegho@gmail.com



of which are preventable. This is to suggest that if 
Nigerians are sincere in their quest for religious harmony 
and peaceful co-existence, the rst step is to address the 
issue of factors, which are inimical to religious unity and 
peaceful co-existence. Subsequently, the nal solution 
becomes easily attainable.

Keywords: Unity, Diversity, Christian, Muslim, Pathway, Dialogue,  
Nigeria

Introduction
The quest for peace by all in our world today cannot be 
overemphasized. But there can be no peace without tolerance from 
inhabitants living together in human society. Peace is an opposite of 
strife. To eliminate strife and crises within human society is the 
responsibility of all persons who genuinely want a peaceful society. 
 � Nigeria as a nation with three major religions, African 
Traditional Religion, Christianity, and Islam have overtime be 
bedeviled by strife, chaos, and outright crises which have often led to 
underdevelopment. While the African Traditional Religion, the 
oldest religion in Nigeria has been quite docile and accommodating 
to other religions, the attitude of the adherents of Christianity and 
Islam has not been quite encouraging. For several years now, some 
adherents of these two religions have continued to see one another as 
enemies and competitors in their bid to proselytizing within the 
Nigerian nation. This unhealthy attitude has continued to constitute a 
cog in the wheel of progress as far as religions are concerned in 
Nigeria.  
� This paper aims to assess those lingering issues in 
Christian–Muslim dialogue in the Nigerian context to ameliorate the 
crises that such issues have raised. We are quite aware of the 
bickering going on between the Christians and Muslims in the 
Nigerian state. This work sets to outline those issues and thereafter 
suggest ways that would bring about worthwhile dialogue between 
the Christians and Muslims, which invariably would lead to peaceful 
co-existence between adherents of the two religions. The research 

206 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



methodology adopted here is socio- historical, and evaluative 
approaches

What is Dialogue?
Since the 1970s, interreligious dialogue has made unprecedented 
advances. In this relatively short period, a number of initiatives have 
emerged, including dialogue groups, encounter centres, 
interreligious organizations, academic and popular journals, and 
academic programmes, where the possibilities of interreligious 
dialogue are studied. Depending on the participants (laypeople, 
religious leaders, theologians, and monks), the structure 
(local/international, small/large-scale, bilateral/multilateral), and the 
themes to be discussed daily concerns, ethical challenges, spiritual 
experiences, doctrinal issues, etc, interreligious dialogue can take 
diverse forms. These can range from encounters between academics 
in which the exchange of religious ideas is central to those between 
grassroots groups that are engaged in joint emancipation projects and 
dialogue, from diplomatic consultations between religious leaders to 
interreligious prayer meetings in which Buddhist and Christian 
monks share experience and insights on meditational practices. They 
can span the spectrum from encounters focused on action regarding 
concrete local, national, or ethical challenges such as global 
warming, human rights, etc., to Scriptural Reasoning groups in which 
Jews, Christians, and Muslims read one another's scripture, from 
personal conversations to international conferences with hundreds of 
participants, from spontaneous encounters between people who live 
in the same neighbourhood to colloquia of specialists planned a long 
time in advance. These different types of dialogue, each in their own 
way, promote positive and constructive relations with individuals and 
communities of other faiths that are aimed at mutual understanding 

1
and enrichment.

1Marianne Mayaert, “Interreligious Dialogue” in Cheetham, David, Prat Douglas, 
and Thomas, David (Eds.), Understanding Interreligious Relations. Oxford: 
Oxford University Press, 2013, 201-202. 

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 207



Dialogue as a term implies a conversation or an attempt to construct a 
bridge between two people or two communities with the purpose of 
coming to mutual understanding, respect, reconciliation, peaceful 
co-existence, and collaborative action for mutual growth in all 
aspects of human life. Dialogue also connotes an exchange of 
opinions, assumptions, convictions, experiences, principles, beliefs 
between two representatives of different cultures, customs, 

2
traditions, academic disciplines, religious beliefs, etc.
� Diversity is made up of enrichment and not necessarily a 
reason for a struggle. Also, we are aware of the fact that the breath and 
plurality epistemologies impede any claim of dominance or 
exclusivity or absoluteness by any kind of research or search for 

3
existence among different communities and countries.
� Dialogue is connected deep down with the search for truth 
and a striving for wisdom. It excludes fanaticism. A fanatic is 
someone who, convinced that he/she is absolutely right, locks 
himself/herself up in his/her position and refuses any critical testing 
or challenge. Dialogue presupposes precisely the engagement of 
people with critical minds, who question the obvious and also give 

4
room for others to challenge them.   'What all dialogues have in 
common is that they always concern a history of homo loquens, who 

5is driven by reason, seeks wisdom.'   In that sense, it is not surprising 
that the existence of dialogue and philosophy have been connected 
right from the start. Although the adventure of dialogue started in 
Greece with Plato, the philosophical hermeneutics of Han-Georg 
Gadamer especially can assist us to gain a better understanding of 
what is at stake in the dialogue between the religions. Although he did 
not engage philosophical hermeneutics with a view to interreligious 
dialogue, reection on interreligious dialogue is greatly indebted to 

2Joseph Bitole, Kato, “Reections on Inter-religious Dialogue: An African Pastoral 
Perspective.” In Klaus Kramer and Klaus Vellguth. Mission and Dialogue: 
Approaches to Communicative Understanding of Mission, Quezon City: Claretian 
Publications, 2012, 45.
3Ibid. 
4Ibid, 206.
5Ibid.

208 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



Gadamer. His hermeneutical model of conversion often resounds in 
reections on interreligious dialogue. As Sallie B. King correctly 
remarks: 'Dialogue and hermeneutics are at base about a very 

6mysterious thing: the process of coming to understand the other'.  

Pathway to Authentic Dialogue in our World
Dialogue has become such a fashionable word in recent times. We 
consider it progressive to discuss the need for the dialogue of 
religions and cultures and how to become competent for dialogue. It 
is generally accepted that interaction between human beings of 
diverse origins, leads to a positive result and is for that reason 
desirable. It naively assumes that people who know each other face-
to-face are likely to develop an afnity for each other. But is the 
opposite not also possible? Here, we mean people who get in touch 
with each other and know each other's views thus creating the 
opportunity for dissent and conict, perhaps even violence. 
Obviously, more is needed for dialogue than just a coming together 
and speaking with each other or with one another. This additional 
feature is known as “good intention”, or the a priori positive 
inclination towards each other, the willingness to listen, the 
expectation of enrichment and the hope for a personal meeting of 
minds. Unless the good intention exists, a dialogue is impossible. 
This positive inclination towards each other is an occidental heritage. 
It is a reection and a consequence of the Christian command to love 
one's neighbour. It embraces whoever happens to be near; that is, 

7potentially it includes everyone.
� Dialogue can be dialogue only if the focus is on the otherness, 
when the other can also truly be other; when the strange is not 
colonized. In the interreligious dialogue as well, openness cannot 
mean that the other is completely understood as such. The 
understanding of the other does not happen in a neutral space; our 

6Ibid, 206-207.
7Martin Kampchen, “Dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism” in Klaus 
Kramer and Klaus Vellguth (eds). Spirituality of the Universal Church 
Rediscovering Faith. Quezon: Claretian Publications, 2014, 201.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 209



prejudices, commitments, and convictions help to determine how we 
approach the other and his/her tradition. Human beings are situated 
and embodied beings, and we can never fully transcend our historical 
and cultural context. 'We never see from a God's – Eye point of view, 
we never think from a neutral place or tabula rasa, but always from a 
specic point of view rooted in our culture, our language, our 
worldview, and our individual life experiences. There is no escaping 

8�
being rooted in the particular in this way'

 Dialogue is a revelation of a Christian–Enlightenment 
optimism. It claims that conversation pays off because people are 
different. Conversation is another ingredient of dialogue and is such a 
useful tool to discover differences and liberate oneself from illusions. 
It is useful because we expect that beyond those differences there lies 
something which unites us and which we can discover in our 
conversations. Whatever we may have in common does not mollify 
these differences. However, our Christian optimism demands that the 
common features are given more weight, thereby reducing the 

9 perceived differences to insignicance.
� One wonders the concept to be used in describing this 
common bond beyond all differences. Is it the Human Factor, the 
Divine in Man, the Holy Spirit, or the divine soul in every human 
being? Only when this common feature dwelling in every human 
person can be activated and put into constructive use will dialogue 
make sense. This means that the rst condition for dialogue is that it 
should take place between two partners with equal rights, meaning 
who are equal because God has equally endowed them with that 
common heritage. No cultural or religious superiority can be 
expressed, not even in innuendoes or by uttering obsolete clichés. A 
constant watch over our language, also body language, is needed to 

10
avoid slipping into our clichés of superiority.  In the case of Nigeria, 
Christians must never encounter Muslims with a sense of superiority; 
neither should Muslims show superiority towards Christians. The 

8Marianne Mayaert, “Interreligious Dialogue”, 208.
9Martin Kampchen, “Dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism”,  201.
10Ibid, 202.

210 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



claim that Christianity is the only religion capable of salvation should 
not be the case because the Muslims are also God's children created in 
His image and likeness and therefore, also on the path leading to 
paradise. 

Some areas of Divergence in Christian- Muslim Relations
We do not intend to highlight all the areas of conicts between 
Christianity and Islam in Nigeria and other nations of the world. This 
analysis is just a microcosm of the divergence in the understanding of 
one another by the Christians and Muslims in our world.
� We commence this section with anecdotal history which 
relates to an encounter in the mid 1960s between Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe 
who was Nigeria's rst president and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, a one-
time Premier and Sarduna of Sokoto. The story related by Johnson 
Mbillah, General Coordinator of the programme for Christian – 
Muslim Relations in Africa, is transmitted as follows: The two 
leaders met to discuss the growing tensions between coalition 
partners in central government (the Northern People's Congress and 
the National Council of Nigerian citizens). The tension brought to the 
fore open divergences between the majority Christian South which 
was degenerating into ethnoreligious antagonism. In the cause of 
dialogue to restore some understanding, Dr. Azikiwe is quoted to 
have said to Ahmadu Bello, “Let us forget our differences.” Ahmadu 
Bello replied, “No, let us understand our differences… By 

11
understanding our differences we can build unity in Nigeria.”  
 From the perspective of Islam, Christianity is one-sided in its 
preoccupation with spiritual matters; it is exclusively concerned with 
the salvation of people's soul in the hereafter. But what does it have to 
say about life in this world, especially about social and political 
matters? Secondly, the separation of state and religion is alien to 
Islam; it is a Western and Christian idea. Thirdly, Christianity 
distinguishes between the things that are God's and the things that are 

11Martha Th Frederiks, “Let Us Understand Our Differences: Current Trends in 
Christian-Muslim Relations in Sub-Sahara Africa” in Marina Ngursangzeli Behera 
(ed.) Interfaith Relations after One Hundred Years: Christian Mission among 
Other Faiths. Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2011, 49.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 211



Caesar's. How then should one understand ventures carried out in the 
12

name of Christianity such as the crusades and colonialism?
� Islam understands itself as the nal revealed religion, 
fullling and superseding all earlier religions. Judaism is one-sided 
in its preoccupation with this world; Christianity is one-sided in its 
emphasis on the spiritual. Islam in contrast is the perfect, harmonious 
religion of the middle way (cf. Qur'an 5:3 and the reference to din 
wasat at 2:143, which is interpreted in this sense of a mediating 
religion). Islam concerns body and soul, social, political and 
religious life, prosperity in this world and the hereafter. Christianity, 
on the other hand, sacrices the body and the soul; it deals only with 
religion (din) and ignores politics and the state (dawla), setting no 
store by prosperity in this world, but rather laying all its hope on 

13heaven.
 To varying degrees, such ideas are widespread among 
Muslims. It needs to be acknowledged that several features of the 

th
image that Christianity offered in the 19  century lent support to this 
grossly oversimplied view. Typical in this regard are phrases like 
'the saving of souls' in this valley of tears'; a widespread negative 
view of the body and especially of sexuality, what at times was 
portrayed as sin's chief domain; the concepts of Christianity as a 

14private religion and of politics as a 'dirty business; and so on.
� Majority of Muslims see monasticism and the practice of 
celibacy for the sake of the faith as a typically Christian phenomenon 
which leaves its stamp on the entire Christianity. They regard it as an 
embodiment of a 'ight from the world' (al-rar min al –dunya) 
which the 'healthy' perspective of Islam rmly rejects. It should be 
noted, however, that this traditional Muslim perspective of 
Christianity has in recent years undergone a partial change. Muslims 
often declare their interest in the efforts of the Christian churches to 
gain a hearing in the sphere of politics and public opinion of issues of 

12Christian W. Troll, Muslims Ask, Christian Answer. Lahore: Multi Media 
Affairs, 2012,103.
13Ibid.
14Ibid,104.

212 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



peace and justice in the name of the poor, the marginalized, and the 
oppressed. Muslim thinkers are interested in Liberation Theology 
because it issues a call to struggle against political oppression and 

15social injustice.  

Christian Mission and Islam in Nigeria Today
The shared history of Christians and Muslims indicates that it does 
not matter who is politically or culturally dominant, Muslims or 
Christians, perhaps with some exceptions in the ninth century, 
conict and confrontation have been a norm. The principle of 
'exchange' has rarely been explored. In the early Arab Middle East, 
which experienced the Muslim conquest and was integrated within 
the expanding Muslim rule, only Muslims had full rights. This may 
have partly contributed to the decline of Eastern Christianity. Their 
migrations, even in our contemporary time (e.g. in Turkey and Iraq) 
are perhaps a sign of the continuing conicts (most of it avoidable, as 
in Iraq). Islam and Christianity have been guilty of taking their notion 
of truth and reality to extremes and in hating the other enough to wage 

16wars.
� There is certainly something worthwhile that modern 
Christians and Muslims in Nigeria need to learn from the ninth 
century dialogues. Mark Beaumont's work on Christology indicates 
how Christians presented 'Christ for Muslims' in what he called 'the 

th
most creative period of Christian-Muslim dialogue' (9  century). 

thWhat is interesting is that he compares it with the 20 -century 
dialogue which follows a similar trajectory and this is where his 
signicant contribution lies. Christians believed there were 
continuities between the two faiths. Islam on the other hand already 
had the Christ and their task was simply to build on this pre-
understanding. In such an open and honest context even the 
seemingly intractable problems of Jesus' divinity and crucixion 

15Ibid
16David Emmanuel Singh, “Hundred Years of Christian – Muslim Relations: 
Mission to Interfaith Relations” in Marina Ngursangzeli Behera (ed.) Interfaith 

OxRelations after One Hundred Years: Christian Mission among Other Faiths. ford: 
Regnum Books International, 2011, 39.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 213



could be explained and people were civil enough to hear them speak. 
They may eventually reject the idea but not before they had properly 

17heard them.
� The comparative framework for Beaumont's study was 
intended to serve as a model for dialogue. For him what characterized 
Christians from these periods was their ability to listen to Muslims 
and their objections and take their 'concerns seriously'. There existed 
genuine commitment to engaging with them and although, they 
might eventually not accept Christian claims, Christian commitment 
to continue fostering this relationship and creative exchange held 
promise. This sort of friendly persistence was exactly what Jesus 
intended in 'the Parable of the Sower' in Mark 4. Jesus spoke 
creatively in parables not to confuse people and prevent them from 
comprehending but to secure understanding. The question of 
acceptance was the prerogative of the listener. Some thinkers go a 
step further in seeking to understand and secure an understanding of 
their respective faiths in the spirit of friendship and service. 
Apostolov, for instance, in his 'Christian-Muslim frontiers' searches 
for an interface between Christianity and Islam from the new 
perspective of intercultural theology. The key notions in this 
approach are 'interface' or the 'zone of contact' where theologies 

18intersect.
� The notion of 'interface' or the 'zone of contact' (rather than 
conict) is quite interesting. It conceives of religions as representing 
as it were, different circles. Much of these circles are unique to the 
religions they represent; meaning that the greater space in these 
stands on its own may owe to the unique trajectories they have 
traversed in their political, social, cultural, and economic history. 
However, between these circles, there appear, 'zones of contact' or 
'interfaces' which may also be due to historical contacts between 
them, the natural osmosis of ideas and possibly also the common 
operations of a just and loving God, the creator of all beings and the 
spirit of Christ. From the perspective of the idea of exchange through 

17Ibid, 39-40.
18Ibid, 40.

214 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



such zones of contact, we have the example of W.C. Smith who 
purposefully worked assiduously to emphasize 'interfaith' and 
particularly Christianity's relations with Islam. According to him, it 
was not about sacricing religious distinctiveness as that was the 
greater part of religious identities. The traditional approach, for 
Smith, assumed that Islam and Christianity are two distinct religions 
and civilizations and as such presented them as separate circles. It is 
not a surprise therefore, that confrontation and conict have 
characterized their history. Their relationship as a result is still largely 
understood and construed in terms of clash rather than cooperation 
and acceptance. Therefore, Smith's call, was for 'a new mental map', 
simply 'understanding' the other and securing their understanding of 
another's faith but to lead to genuine relations expressed in and 
through a common theology. This theology would be based on the 
premise that truth was a 'humane' and 'not an objective' concept. It 
was not contained in 'beliefs or doctrines' but was 'a function of the 
inner person.' If the nature of truth was concrete and not abstract then 

19 it was something that grew in human engagement with it.
  
Christian Communities and relations with others
There is the need for urgent dialogue and collaborative solidarity 
from all faith-based organizations, communities, and cultural groups 
in Africa (and most especially in Nigeria) for the following reasons:

a). The perceived dechristianisation of some nations which were for 
centuries considered to be the origin and hub of Christianity, its 
inspiration, human and material resources for missionary activities in 
Africa and worldwide;

b). The general decreasing religious sense in society for several 
reasons, such as absolute or extreme materialism, socialism, egoistic 
individualism, and hedonistic tendencies (Benedict XVI 43). The 
alarming share of ignorance of Judeo Christian principles and values 
in Nigerian local Christian communities whose population is 

19Ibid, 40-41.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 215



demographically increasing but lacking in deep Christian conviction 
20and commitment.

c). The ideology of absolute human freedom that divinizes a created 
human being to the extent that those who embrace it ignore and 
devalue the rights of the community, senselessly exploit nature 
including fellow human beings; or the conviction that God does not 

 21intervene in human society.  
 The mission is the reason for which an organization or a 
community was created, chosen, elected such as the Church to do, or 
the reason why it exists. Jesus Christ tasks the Church to bring the 
light of the gospel to all humanity without exemption. This task is 
executed via the tripartite ministry of Jesus Christ and His Church, 
meaning, the prophetic, liturgical or sacramental and shepherding or 
deaconia or witnessing to Gospel values and law of love of God and 

22 neighbour.  
 It is through love that dialogue comes into play; loving not 
only brothers and sisters and neighbours but strangers, opponents, 
true enemies, or those we merely perceive to be against our cherished 
interests. In this context; Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, animists, 
members of Christian sects, extreme secularists, materialists, people 
with hedonistic tendencies, all are fellow partners with Christians in 
the dialogue journey and process. The purpose of dialogue is that 
there exist several persons who are born, grow up, and educated in a 
cultural context that completely disregards or ignores the idea or 

23
reality of God, the transcendental dimension, to mention just a few.  

a. The old classic absolute secularists who nd it a herculean task to    
imagine the existence of God;

20Joseph, Bitole, Kato, “Reections on Inter-religious Dialogue: An African 
Pastoral Perspective.” In Klaus Kramer and Klaus Vellguth. Mission and Dialogue: 
Approaches to Communicative Understanding of Mission. Quezon City: Claretian 
Publications, 2012,43.
21Ibid, 44.
22Ibid, 45.
23Ibid, 45-46.

216 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



b. The agnostics who purposely or intentionally refuse to decide 
whether to believe in God or not;

c.  The positivists who take pride in rejecting any reality that cannot 
be scientically tested, measured and veried through laboratory 
gadgetry or bodily senses;

d. The extreme humanists who divinize the human being as having 
the absolute capacity to control and know every reality through 
scientic and technical know-how; thus giving him or her the 
unlimited power and freedom to do anything in his or her favour 

24
and pleasure.

e. The Muslims who though believe in God and many of the 
characters and stories in the Christian Bible have their mindset and 
conviction on how God should be worshipped from the 
perspective of Islam.

The process of dialogue does not exclude any person(s) in these 
categories.
 Nigerian Christians need not see the Muslims as enemies but 
rather as neighbours on the same road to knowing God and working 
towards the realization of God's kingdom here on earth. They are 
fellow pilgrims on the path to paradise where all mortals strive to 
reach to be united with the Almighty God.
 Christians in Nigeria need to understand how Christians 
elsewhere around the world are relating to Muslims and surviving 
amid any situation. Perhaps Coptic Christianity in Egypt and 
Ethiopia serves as a good example of intentional disjunction and 
separation. Indeed Coptic Christianity is a brave survivor in a context 
dominated by Islam. Its marginalization in Egypt does not make for a 
pleasant spectacle. Even at that, one of the contemporary responses to 
this has been a reafrmation of a distinct identity that is rooted in an 
ancient culture that does not have another living parallel. This kind of 
identity serves to assert their unique discourse on Egyptian – ness and 
Coptic Christian identity that is not shared by Egyptian Islam. 
Separateness is emphasized to inspire the revival of a distinct identity 
and communal pride. This type of recollection or coming together 

24Ibid, 46.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 217



does not have its advantages in a context of overt discrimination and 
outright hostility but only for a time. It almost seems like Coptic 
Christianity is reliving a period of rst 'contact'. What it needs to 
further its relevance in Egypt will require an immense sense of faith 

25 to transcend to the level of 'cooperation' and 'exchange' with Islam.
 The idea of conceiving Christianity and Islam in absolute 
circles may have been a welcome development in an era of political 
conicts of the Western Christianity with the East, but today we live 
more or less in a different world. We have the benets of hindsight. 
We remember vividly the crusades and the World wars and not 
forgetting the Iraq war spearheaded by George W. Bush which was 
actually not necessary because they were simply made to happen. 
They owe to certain ideological positions sometimes religiously 
legitimized. They could all have been avoided. There is the need to 
bear in mind that today, a majority of the Christians live in the East 
where Christianity is also growing. Christianity can no longer be 
equated with the West. The great ideologically conicting axes of the 
West and Islam cannot be simplistically equated with Christianity 
versus Islam. This way of thinking has serious consequences for the 
ancient Christian minorities living in 'Islamic' lands and generally for 
Muslims and Christians in Africa and Asia alike. In the case of 
Nigeria just like elsewhere in the African continent, Christians live 
with Muslims and are often part of the same cultural and 
civilizational 'circles'. There is often a greater degree of overlap 
between the Christians and their Muslim neighbours than them and 
Western Christians. Therefore, emphasis needs to shift to relations as 
we search with Bennett (2008) for bases for peace and justice and 

26 reconciliation.    

Interreligious Dialogue between Christians and Muslims in 
Nigeria
In Nigeria, Interreligious dialogue dates back from the second 
coming of Christianity to the present geographical entity now called 

25Ibid, 41-42.
26Ibid, 42.

218 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



thNigeria. Its rst appearance in the 15  century was both brief and 
uneventful, as the Portuguese traders who practiced their Christian 
faith alongside their primary business adventure did not pursue 
evangelization with vigour, and they were also confronted with many 
unresolved challenges. There was no report of any clash between 
Muslims and Christians. However, the second appearance of 

th
Christianity in Nigeria in the 19  century was ushered in with a 
determined effort on the part of various Christian denominations- 
Church Missionary Society (C.M.S) at the forefront to convert 
Muslims and others. No sooner had the missionaries settled down to 
business than informal discussions and consultations began. Such 
discussions sometimes took place between Muslims and Christians 
and some other times between Muslims and the Colonial rulers who 
being Christians themselves had always thrown all their ofcial 

27
weight behind the missionaries.
� The Muslims in Nigeria found the method used by the 
Christian missionaries for evangelization as offensive, especially the 
use of education as bait to de-islamise Muslim homes. The emergent 
discussions ranged between asking for a three hour on Friday to full 
an important religious obligation and a provision for the Muslim 
youth education system that should be devoid of Christian 
colouration. Such isolated cases of discussions and consultations 
represented the very early forms of interreligious dialogue in Nigeria. 
But with the inception of tertiary education in Nigeria and the 
subsequent proliferation of universities in which religious studies 
discipline was and is given some recognition, interreligious dialogue 
emerged as a tool to foster understanding and mutual respect between 

28Muslims and Christians as well as adherents of other faiths.
Dialogue is rst and foremost meant to celebrate a common belief in 
God. Dialogue brings together the community of believers of men 
and women who confess to the greatness of God and consciously 
employ this communality for the spread of peace and justice and love. 

27Muritala Aderemi Bidmos, Inter – Religious Dialogue: The Nigerian Experience. 
Abuja: Panaf Publishing, Inc., 2006, 133-134.
28Ibid,134.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 219



It is meant as a vehicle and a powerful sign in a world characterized 
by injustice and a lack of faith. By associating with non-Christian 
communities for some length of time we become aware of the fact 
that they worship their God or their gods with the same fervor and 
dedication as Christians do. Dialogue professes the general aim to 
learn about the experiences and realizations of other religions and in 

29
this way nd a new depth and breadth in their own religion.
� Understanding the missionary nature of Islam and 
Christianity is very imperative in any discourse on the interreligious 
dialogue between the two faiths in Nigeria just as elsewhere around 
the world. Inviting people to the worship of God is an obligatory duty 
in the monotheistic religions. In Islam, for instance, the invitation is 
called Da’wah and it is made compulsory on the Muslim Ummah 
(Community). “Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to 
all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong: 

30They are the ones to attain felicity. (Qur'an 3:104).  Also, the 
question of the mission is fundamental in Christianity. The Christians 
are instructed as a matter of duty to embark on the spread of the 

31
gospel: “But as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”.   
The intriguing question applicable to both Muslims and Christians is, 
what extent have the faithful in Nigeria complied with these golden 
and divine injunctions about Da'wah and Mission? The situation so 
far is that of awful disgust as some of those who claim to be calling 
people to the way of God have often conducted themselves in a 
manner considered a agrant violation of the tenets of their religions. 
For example, there have been incidents of clashes between Muslims 
and Christians during preaching sessions due to a group expressing 
unprintable words which the opposite group would consider 
offensive and react to spontaneously and violently too. The 1986 
Ilorin and the 1987 Kafanchan incidents are good examples. It is 
obvious that the ugly incidents took place due to over-zealousness to 
win converts coupled with the unbridled utterances and violation of 

29Martin Kampchen, “Dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism”, 209.
30Muritala Adeyemi Bidmos, Inter – Religious Dialogue: The Nigerian Experience, 
46.
31Ibid,50.

220 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



32the divine principles guiding preaching.
� Islam and Christianity lay down very clear and adequate 
regulations in pursuance of Da’wah and Mission. If these were 
strictly followed, there would be no case of bloody clashes during 
preaching sessions. The prospective preachers will be doing 
themselves and the faiths they represent a lot of good if they would 

33
comply with the regulations.
� Another body that can play a key role in healthy interreligious 
dialogue is the press. It is a well-known fact that the traditional 
function of the press in any society is to inform, entertain, and 
educate. The mass media practitioners, like any other professionals, 
have a code of conduct that governs their practice. Within the context 
of their professional immunity or license, they can decide on which of 
the many events covered by them is newsworthy. By implication, 
they reserve the right, by virtue of their profession and training, to 
determine what information or news item to feed their audience with. 
With regard to religious affairs in Nigeria, it may be important to 
redene the role of the mass media practitioners, particularly in terms 
of what events they will nd newsworthy. The mass media reports, 
news analysis, and features are most likely capable of playing a 
positive or negative role in the relationship between Muslims and 
Christians depending on the intention and orientation of the journalist 

34concerned.
 More often than not, the reactions of the Muslims to the 
actions of a Christian or vice-versa are determined by the mass media 
reports. It will be difcult for instance, to reconcile the objectivity, 
which supposedly constitutes the bedrock of the etiquette of 
journalism and the role played so far by the journalists in the 
following situations: First, during the Second Republic in Nigeria 
(1979 – 83) a press report stormed the entire country like a 
thunderbolt. There was an allegation that the Muslims had been given 
ten million Naira (N10,000,000) by the then Federal Government, to 

32Ibid, 51-52.
33Ibid, 51.
34Ibid

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 221



build a central mosque in Abuja, the new Federal Capital. The gesture 
was seen as a favour to the Muslims and contempt for, or neglect of, 
the Christians. The tension caused by the report was better imagined. 
Even the prompt intervention of the government to explain the matter 
could not help the situation. The truth of the matter as given by a 
prominent member of the ruling party who incidentally was a 
Christian was that both Muslim and Christian groups were given ten 
million Naira each to build a mosque and church respectively in the 
new Federal Capital. The circumstances that led to the speculation 
came up when the Muslims commenced work on their mosque 
project in earnest. They had mobilized their resources to contribute 
more money enough to erect a magnicent mosque. But for the 
Christian church, information gathered indicates that the Christians 
had to hold prolonged deliberations to resolve some nagging 
problems. It seemed that the press had hidden motive as the press was 
not willing to give an explanation offered by the government over the 
matter the same prominence given earlier to the damaging 
speculation. While some Newspapers did not see the need to carry the 
story, others that carried it did so obviously reluctantly, as the report 

35was tucked obscurely in one corner of the papers.
 Secondly, the part played by the press in the religious crisis in 
Kaffanchan in 1987 was surely not in the interest of peaceful co-
existence between Muslims and Christians. The Newspapers, Radio 
and television programmes devoted their front-page headlines, 
editorial comments, and features to the reactions of the Muslims in 
Kano, Kaduna, and Zaria. Whereas what transpired in those places 
represented the Muslims' reaction to the original action of the killing 
of Muslim students and the burning of their mosque in Kaffanchan on 
July 6-7, 1987. The public was grossly misinformed by the press as 
they were fed with partial reports. Such reports by the press led to 

36Muslims and Christians ghting themselves.  
 The electronic media too often give prominence to events that 
are negative and capable of causing hatred and antagonism between 

35Ibid, 51-53.
36Ibid, 53.

222 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



Muslims and Christians. Such events as the Maitatsine riot of 1980, 
the Bauchi and Katsina unrests of 1991 were given wide publicity at 
the prime period of network bulletins. If the Nigerian press was 
indeed interested in religious harmony in the country, they would nd 
several events that take place daily in Nigeria that can promote unity 

37
and cooperation between the Muslims and Christians.
 The stand of Islam on alcohol is very clear. Alcohol in all 
ramications, its brewing, distribution, consumption, entertainment, 
etc is forbidden to Muslims. Whereas, a substantial part of the 
nation's resources is earmarked to the brewing industry whereby 
alcohol is produced in such a quantity as to make alcoholic drinks 
more accessible than potable water in almost all parts of Nigeria. In 
the health sector, facilities such as the ambulances, which are bought 
and maintained with the public funds in which the Muslims are also 
contributors, carry the Red Cross sign. Theologically, the religious 
symbolism of the Red Cross is not acceptable by the Muslims. 
Similarly, the common law practiced in Nigeria is of Western origin, 
and it is a truism that somehow Christianity seem to be interwoven 

38
into the Western culture.
 In Nigeria just as elsewhere in our global community, 
Christians habitually live in close contact with Muslims. For this 
reason, Christians often feel the psychological urge to set themselves 
apart. However, such an identity must never be cultivated for its own 
sake, meaning for selsh motives. Instead, Nigerian Christians 
should emphasize their identity so as to discover a new depth and 
maturity in their religion. This may also mean that Christians absorb 
certain elements from Islam or other religions and integrate them into 
their way of living the Christian faith. Just like other tradition, the 
Christian tradition remains alive and vibrant only by continuing to 
develop and grow. It must be involved in a constant process of self-
doubt and self-discovery. Accordingly, Christians in Nigeria must 
learn to strike a balance between two seemingly contradictory goals: 
on the one hand, to maintain an identity separate from the identity of 

37Ibid,53-54.
38Ibid,58-59.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 223



the Muslims and on the other hand, to learn from Muslims for the 
39 purpose of renewal of their Christian faith.

 The Second Vatican Council theologians suggested that 
Christianity “fulls” the other religions which are so to speak, “pre-
Christian”. These were theological crutches that shed away from 
formulating a genuine pluralism of religions. Dialogue cannot but 
assume such a genuine pluralism. When engaging in dialogue, 
Christians need to take Muslims as seriously as they do their own 
faith. If they fail to do so, they cannot accept and treat their partners in 

40
dialogue as full and equal partners.
 In conversing amicably with the 'other' person, you must set 
aside some of your ideas about his inferiority. Indeed, if you 
genuinely want to comprehend his outlook and to learn something 
from him, you will quickly nd yourself admitting that your 
defensive beliefs are mere 'defences' and are far from being objective 
statements. The point being made here is that in interfaith dialogue, 
participants must abandon their defensive attitude and adopt an 
attitude of openness. Openness implies readiness to look at the other 
man's beliefs from his point of view, to place them in the best possible 
light for understanding them, and to see that, even in some belief or 
practice which at rst seems meaningless or abhorrent, there may be 

41
an element of truth.
 In interfaith dialogue, therefore, the participants should aim 
at faithfully representing their respective positions in an earnest 
effort to create a deeper understanding of each other's religious 
commitments. The two sides are free to express their views, ideas, 
doubts, objections, and agreements with complete freedom and 
without inhibitions, but necessarily in an atmosphere of goodwill and 
understanding. Since Nigeria is a pluralistic and 'inter-religious' 
society, there is an ever-growing interdependence in every aspect of 
our material life, interfaith dialogue is therefore to be seen as an 

39Ibid, 209.
40Ibid,210.
41Joshua Idowu-Fearon, “The Imperative of Dialogue for the Survival of 
Nigeria: Lessons from Christian-Muslim Relations” in Leadership (Online 
Newspaper)  Accessed 14 October 2019.

224 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



imperative for the evolution of a truly happy and prosperous multi-
religious society. Interfaith is to be accepted as an opportunity to 
describe and witness to one another. For too long we have described 
the 'other' from our own understanding resulting in prejudice, 
stereotyping, and condescension. This is a false witness and the bible 

42
commands us not to bear false witness.

Recommendations; 
For a healthy relationship between the Muslims and Christians in 
Nigeria, there is the need to suggest the following recommendations:
 The claim of the uniqueness of one's religion is 
psychologically easy to understand. In the Old Testament, we 
encounter a jealous God who is venerated by a jealously loyal 
devotee. Neither God nor the devotee wishes to accept somebody 
equal beside them. God reveals himself as God when he emerges 
victorious from the competition with other gods. This kind of 
tribalism is inherent in the psyche of everyone in the global 
community. Distinguishing between various tribes, social groups and 
economic strata comes naturally to human beings. We believe that 

43only enormous efforts can free humans from it.
 Often times we transfer group mentality from our human 
society to God. Divine revelation of the different religions expresses 
itself through languages that are human-made and shaped by history. 
They speak to us from a particular historical context into our 
contemporary context. God is shown as a God who does not tolerate 
other gods beside him. This path towards the realization that there 
cannot be but one God, only one Divine Being that reveals 
Himself/Herself/Itself in each religion – this path is long and requires 
prayer, contemplation, dialogue, and most importantly, the 

44 
renunciation of selshness.
 There is always a tendency to base one's image of Islam and 
Muslims on second-hand information from a distant, instead of 
entering into explorative dialogue with the Muslim neighbour next 

42Ibid
43Martin Kampchen, “Dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism”, 202.
44Ibid.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 225



door. As a way of reducing this hatred between Christians and 
Muslims in some parts of our country, we must seriously try to 
identify with our Muslim/Christian friends, try to see people, society, 
and the world from their point of view, thereby gaining true 
understanding. To some extent there are possibilities for a process of 
mutual learning, e.g. through participation in one another's religious 
festivals. A basic principle, to begin with, is the 8th commandment; to 
speak well and respectful of one another, thus breaking the vicious 

 45circle of “prejudice by tradition.”
 
Conclusion
As we round off this work it may be appropriate to use an analogy one 
of these researchers saw on a social media platform where one of his 
friends Adams had an encounter at a bank premise. He went to an e-
bank hall and as he was entering the hall, a lady ran ahead of him and 
pushed him away, so she could quickly join the long queue before 
him. He refused to react in any way. She thought he would queue 
behind her, but he was actually not there to withdraw money but to 
make a deposit. So he walked to the deposit machine and he was the 
only one there and no other depositor joined the queue till he was 
through with his transaction. As he was set to leave the hall, the lady 
left the queue to apologize for her earlier rude attitude towards him. 
With a sorry smile on her face, she said “I am sorry sir for pushing you 
away, I thought you were coming to the queue, Adams simply smiled 
and told her not to bother that it was not a big deal. But since then, the 
lesson in this story kept coming to his mind. He asserts that we do not 
have to push away or try to outrun anyone in the race of destiny, 
relationship, business, ministry, career, religion, etc. We should not 
always think we are going to the same queue (destination) with 
others. Unknown to you, though your path may look alike, your 
destinations are different. In like manner, with the analogy above, 
Christians and Muslims in Nigeria must never forget their differences 
but rather must learn to understand their differences. They may be 
different in worldview but the two religions lead people to the same 

45Joshua Idowu-Fearon, “The Imperative of Dialogue for the Survival of Nigeria

226 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



God via different methods and paths. The acrimony most times 
between Christianity and Islam leading to disagreements and 
tensions are from lack of proper understanding of the true meanings 
of Christianity and Islam on the path of some uninformed adherents 
of the two religions. For this reason, there is a need for the proper 
education of persons by the hierarchy of the two religions in Nigeria. 
Lack of proper education is the reason for the shallow understanding 
of what Christianity and Islam truly are.

46  Finally, we share the view of Bidmos  that the existing 
religious climate in Nigeria is a direct result of certain actions, 
utterances, and insinuations all of which are preventable. This is to 
suggest that if Nigerians are sincere in their quest for religious 
harmony and peaceful co-existence, the rst step is to address the 
issue of factors, which are inimical to religious unity and peaceful co-
existence. Subsequently, the nal solution becomes easily attainable.

46Muritala Adeyemi Bidmos, Inter – Religious Dialogue: The Nigerian Experience, 
59.

Unity in Diversity in Christian –Muslim Relations    | 227


