This section looks closely at the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria’s understanding of non-violence. Has the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria understood the teaching of non-violence differently from the Church of the Brethren in the USA? If yes, attempt to find out how this affected the Nigerian Brethren participation in peace making and peace building as a peace church. What is the seed sown in Nigeria by the mother Church of the Brethren in the United States? What are the conflicting areas in which the attitude of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria becomes relevant?
The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria is a peace church through practical Christian life, Nonviolence is consistent with the teaching of Christ which emphasizes love as the law of life and is still very relevant in every context. Nonviolence does not mean withdrawal or being passive but denouncing all forms of violence be it war, structural violence, social violence, gender violence, hate speeches etc in a nonviolent way.
(1) The researcher presents an example of how the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria has demonstrated its witness of nonviolence over the years using Borno State. If it was not because of the nonviolent nature of the Church of the Brethren, there should have been a religious crisis between Christians and Muslims since. There was a time in the history of Borno State where more than eighty percent of principals of post primary schools were Christians and Church of the Brethren members. What led to that privileged position was because of the schools opened by the Church of the Brethren Missions which gave opportunity for children to attend and be educated. It is plain that Muslims were not discriminated against in the Mission Schools. It is on record that Christian teachers as there were no Muslim teachers during the missionary era in the mission schools would take the Muslim students to mosque on Fridays and wait for them to perform their juma’at prayers so too they could do to Christian students on Sundays to churches. It was also on record that during the seventies and eighties, the larger percent of the work force in Borno and Adamawa (Gongola) States civil service were Christians and most of them Church of the Brethren members. They were able to live at peace with their host communities and brought growth and development through justice and equity. During that period, it was quite common to hear even small
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children of Muslims especially the Kanuris calling a Christian Kirdi (infidel), but the Church of the Brethren members have never reacted violently. It is a fact that there had been persecution through policies against Christians in Borno State for many years. The persecution through policy came to manifestation when those admitted into schools by those principals and subsequently employed upon graduation sometimes with less qualification by those working in the Civil Service, were soon made superiors of those that employed them because they are Muslims.
Christians are denied land for building Churches whereas Mosques are built on streets. The last Certificate of Occupancy granted to a Church in Maiduguri the Borno State capital was as far back in 1980.
Christian instruction was denied by the government to Christian pupils in government public schools. Borno State government uses the State funds to build Mosques in Tertiary Institutions and Housing Estates while denying building of churches. In the State Estates built by tax payers money and Christians are part, the estates built between 1999 to 2013, there is the 202, 303, 555 and 777 housing estates there are mosques and Islamiya Schools built by the government and no church nor provision for building of same. Admissions into tertiary institutions are based on religious affiliation, courses like medicine, engineering and law are denied to Christian applicants. Summary of persecution against the Church in the Northern Part of Nigeria as presented by the CAN National Secretary Engr. S L Salihu in his address to church pastors, leaders and elders in Maiduguri on the 18 March 2006 exactly one month after the religious crisis as a result of Danish Cartoon of prophet Muhammed that resulted in killing of 50 Christians and the burning of 56 church buildings and looting and burning of Christian business places. He mentions four points, but only one is cited,
The issue or issues before us are issues that have caused us some trauma and some elements of confusion. We as Nigerian Christians have taken so much for granted. We love our Muslim colleagues and others who profess no Religion. We usually obey governments and are usually hard working to support and uphold all good endeavors. Our religion teaches us hard work, love for all. We are called to shed abroad the LOVE of Christ to all. It is when a command from our God to love our enemies and those who despitefully use us. All these we have done in Nigeria and will continue to do. What we have failed to understand is the HATRED of our Muslim brothers for us for we have strived to love them
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under all circumstances. We are baffled that at the slightest or no provocation at all we become the immediate targets, killings, arson, looting etc.63
However, due to the peace teaching of the Church, there has been no time that Church of the Brethren members contemplated taking the laws into their hands or went out for vengeance. These are some factual violent situation perpetrated against the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria and indeed the Christian community in the northern part of Nigeria. In the words of the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) we have this:
i) When a page of the Koran is found on the street … we are attacked.
ii) When there is a beauty contest which we have not organized … we are attacked- Kaduna and Maiduguri.
iii) When a girl refuses to be disciplined in a class … we are attacked.
iv) When there is an eclipse … something in the sky … we are attacked.
v) When somebody sells pig meat somewhere … we are attacked.
vi) When a mosque is sited near an existing church … we are attacked, Kano, Ibadan, Maiduguri.
vii) When there is community argument on where to site a market … we are attacked.
viii) And of course quite recently a Danish cartoon that has not even been seen in Nigeria … Hell was let loose on us Christians in Borno, Bauchi, Kontogora, and of course with a reprisal at Onitsha.64
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is the largest ecumenical body in Nigeria to which Church of the Brethren in Nigeria is a member. Often, in Borno and Adamawa States, Church of the Brethren ministers had held the leadership position of the State Chapters of CAN. They have while in such leadership position used their nonviolence teaching to guide them in their leadership. In all of the above marginalization, discrimination, and persecution the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria being the predominant church in the north east of Nigeria and always the worst hit in all these killings and destructions, the Church of the Brethren never for once, retaliated nor contemplated violence.
63 Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Borno State, Christianity in Crisis: Lesson From Borno State 18 Feb. 2006: vi.
64 Ibid, p. vii.
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(2) The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria through her witness of non-violence has always been calling on the governments of these States and Nigeria at large to ensure justice and fairness to all. Justice in employment, admission into schools, recruitments and in all aspects of human endeavours needs to be given to all regardless of ones religious inclination but on merit. The Church had always advocated total adherence to the Nigerian Constitution that states that there should be freedom of worship and that no State shall adopt any religion as a State religion. The Church has been addressing the issue of corruption that has bedeviled Nigeria as a nation as well as the issue of poverty and education. In a paper the researcher presented at the Meeting of the Church of the Brethren and the Mennonites Central Committee in Nigeria on the 15th February 2012, he addressed the issue of addressing Nigerian State as a “Secular State.” He explained that for the Muslims, when you address Nigeria as a ‘secular state’ it means you are making him none religious. The researcher suggested that when addressing Nigeria it is less offensive to the Muslims to say Nigeria is a ‘Multi’ or
‘Plura’ Religious society. This is due to the fact that when a Nigerian Muslim hears the phrase ‘Secular’ he/she thinks, Nigeria is seen as a country of non-religious people.
The most popular statement among Nigerians especially the media is that Nigeria is the most religious nation in the world. Though in the course of this research it is evident that not all what is carried in the media are correct or accurate especially in developing countries where investigative journalism is not popular. The criteria of measuring the degree and or depth of the religiosity of a country is not put in place, however, the words of Paul at Athens when he addressed the Areopagus could be helpful here (Acts 17:22-23). However, as to whether the religiosity of the Nigerian people has some practical impact on their daily lives is questionable looking at the rate of corruption and other social vices. When you come to Nigeria on Fridays and Sundays, you would see outwardly that Nigeria is religious as the streets would be deserted with worshippers filling worship places. In this context, living a Christ like life in such a violent situation as demonstrated by the Church of the Brethren members in Nigeria has been helpful. As sad as there have been many EYN churches burnt and destroyed by the Muslim fundamentalists and extremists in Nigeria, there are some heart touching comments by the perpetrators of violence revealing the nonviolent nature of the Church. In July 2014, there was an attack by the extremists in Shaffa a town in the southern Borno State and one of the mission stations found by the
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missionaries but has grown to a big settlement. It was overheard that the insurgent were saying, we have been with you in your worship for two weeks, and we have seen and heard you do not abuse and insult people, so we will not kill you. They left without burning the church building down and harmed no one with the exception of some new comers to the town to which they said they went looking after. For the Church of the Brethren, life is sacred and precious and should not be killed. The Church shared the pains of the relations of those that were killed, but one could from this testimony see the nonviolent witness of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria in practice.
(3) The Church of the Brethren severally had called on Governments at all levels to sanction preachers of every religion who are inciting people towards violence. The researcher when he was serving as the Chairperson of the State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 2007-2008 had made this call severally.
It is worthy of note that in Nigeria, there is no regulatory body when it comes to preachers and preaching. It is not uncommon to see preachers of both the Christian and Islamic faiths preaching in commercial buses and saying all manners of things.
Motor parks and markets are some public places where one could see and hear different preachers with their stands and supporters disseminating information to the general public some literally inciting people to violence.
The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria has demonstrated her nonviolent approach to issues of peaceful co-existence by never violently confronting violent preachers. In Nigeria as one goes to markets or motor parks in most cities in the northern part of the country, many of the Islamic preachers could make a caricature of the person of Jesus Christ and the church, but the church of the Brethren members have never reacted violently. What the Church does is to seek intervention through the Christian Association of Nigeria, and sometimes through the traditional leaders who are mostly Muslims.
(4) Another practical demonstration of the Church of the Brethren nonviolent witness was the physical support given to Muslims in rebuilding their mosque by Church of the Brethren members, a mosque that was destroyed by Christians during one of the
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religious clash between Christians and Muslims. This is indeed witness of nonviolence.
As a result of the demonstration of that share of love, some of the Muslims got converted to Christianity, but sadly enough, they were killed by fellow Muslims.
Mambula confirmed the authenticity of this story by saying, “After younger Christians repaid with anger by destroying three mosques, the larger church asked for volunteers to restore the Muslim mosques of their enemies. In the restoration a few Muslims were so moved by this love that they became Christians. It was sad that the fundamentalist Muslims, who had more recently come to Nigeria, killed the Muslims who had belittled their faith.”65
It is worthy of note that in the Nigerian context, most often than not, when a Christian got converted to Islam, such a one would not be persecuted. He/she would still be in his/her parents’ house if not yet married. If married, his wife and children would not be taken away from him if they are not converted with him. If it is the woman that got converted to Islam, the husband and children would not eject her out of her house.
The Church of the Brethren has always emphasized 1 Corinthians 7 passage, where St Paul in responding to the Corinthians’ question on marriage charged the believing partner never to get divorced to the unbelieving partner. On the contrary, the Church of the Brethren had witnessed threats and sometimes outright attack not only the person who got converted to the Christian faith from Islam but the faith communities.
Most times, the convert had to be taken away from his community in order to save his/her life.
(5) The story of the Church of the Brethren Local Church Branch (LCB) at Awang in Plateau State which demonstrated their witness of nonviolence by refusing to support either group in an ethno-religious crisis that took place in the year 2010 is a story which gives further evidence to the issue under discussion. Awang is a small village with a Local Branch of Church of the Brethren. Crisis erupted between Hausa/Fulani Muslims and Christian natives. The Hausa/Fulani Muslims came over to them and requested their support to which they refused, they were threatened that if they did not join them and they win the war, they will be destroyed. The natives who are Christians also came over to them seeking their support to resist the attackers to
65 Musa, p. xii.
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which the Church of the Brethren in Awang also objected by saying, we should learn to solve our differences through dialogue without resorting to violence. Unfortunately, the crisis did take place. The surrounding communities were all destroyed, many people were killed, the only village that survived was Awang which when one approaches the area looks like an Island. It was that village that served as a refugee camp for the surviving people of the area. After the crisis, they to this day were neither attacked by the Hausa/Fulanis nor by the natives. Any reference about them, one will hear such heart warming statement that Awang is a village of peace.
(6) A Muslim lady, Hajiya by name “Hajiya could also mean a Muslim lady who had undertaken the pilgrimage to the Holy land (Mecca). Pilgrimage of course is one of the five pillars of Islam.”66 Hajiya was spared by the members of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, Local Church Council Jos in the Plateau State capital. Hajiya was in the Church’s Guest Inn when one of the violence erupted in January 2010. For fear of being killed by the church members, when night was approaching and it was getting dark she went to the fence and was climbing to jump over to escape for her dear life.
She was told to calm down that nobody is going to harm her. She was informed that the Church of the Brethren is a peace church and can not kill a human being; she was assured over and over again of her security and safety. There was a twenty-four hour curfew imposed on the city, members in the church fed her for a week before normalcy returned and she left unhurt. This is witness of nonviolence of the Church of the Brethren in a violent world. To this day, Hajiya has made the EYN Guest Inn her second home whensoever she is in Jos. One will see that even during crisis time, she will come into the EYN Guest House with no fear of harassment or molestation. Jesus said when your enemy is hungry feed him, when thirsty give him water to drink. The church has demonstrated that through her nonviolence witness.
(7) Another practical way through which the Church of the Brethren witness of nonviolence is being demonstrated is through participation in peacemaking and peace building processes. EYN has Peace Programme through which Christians and Muslims for Peace Building Initiatives (CAMPI) bringing ten Muslims and ten Christians together in dialogue was put in place. This is EYN inter-faith programme and the
66 My personal explanation.
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Church’s contribution towards ensuring peaceful co-existence and fostering religious harmony in a non-violent way. When you watch and listen to the group together discussing the need for peace, you will surely be touched and have a different view of both the Christian faith and Islam. Unfortunately, the programme has always been sponsored by EYN alone since inception and no Muslim financial or logistic contribution. The group CAMPI at one of its meetings, after brainstorming and assessment of barriers to peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Mubi area, developed a Mubi based Inter-faith Peace Initiative Club as a forum for an interfaith Dialogue. Since then, CAMPI has been organizing conflict resolution training workshops for dialogue and conflict management. The strategy has been to strengthen and promote peace within religious institutions such as Mosques and Churches. They have been purposefully reaching secondary schools where Christians and Muslim students live together and study together with great ambition for the future.
CAMPI believes that the new initiative of forming a peace building club, targeting
CAMPI believes that the new initiative of forming a peace building club, targeting