Farooq Kperogi : Rising Salafist and pentecostal religious bigotry in Nigeria

 It is Pollyannaish daydreaming to expect that two aggressively competing, proselytizing faiths such as Christianity and Islam can ever cohabit in perfect harmony, but in the Nigeria I grew up in, interpersonal relations between Christians and Muslims used to be reasonably cordial and respectful— for the most part.

That’s now increasingly becoming a challenge, and no moments dramatize this fact than during the momentous religious festivities of the two faiths. During Christmas celebrations, for example, a band of idle, extremist, self-appointed, not to mention ignorant, Salafist moral police comb social media platforms in search of Muslims who wish Christians a merry Christmas.

When they find them, they troll, attack, shame, and try to ostracize them. They preach that it’s haram to both express any goodwill toward Christians on Christmas day and to eat the food Christians share. There is, of course, no scriptural basis for such odious narrow-mindedness. It springs forth from the wells of bitterness and hate that are dug deep in the hearts of these soulless zealots.

Most Muslim authorities in the world countenance the expression of goodwill to Christians on Christmas. For example, the official Muslim position in Malaysia is that it’s permissible to wish Christians a merry Christmas. A 2019 ruling by the European Council for Fatwa and Research says it is acceptable to say “Merry Christmas” to Christians. In 2014, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) formally proclaimed that it is not inconsistent with Islamic teachings to say “Merry Christmas” to Christians.

Wishing a greeting as an expression of our friendship to people of other faiths won’t damage our faith,” the MUI said in its official statement. “Islam is not a narrow-minded religion. Greetings are more about culture, not faith.”

And, as the Middle East Media Research Institute reported early this year, “Prominent religious institutions and figures in the Sunni Muslim world, such as Al-Azhar; Dar Al-Ifta, Egypt’s official body for issuing religious rulings, and the Egyptian Grand Mufti, all issued rulings this year stressing