Imams preach peaceful 2019 elections

Chief Imams and religious leaders in Lagos State have been urged to brace up for a patriotic role in the forthcoming general elections. They are also tasked to avoid sermons that could incite hatred against one another.

The Chief of Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Sulaiman Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla, who gave this advice at the seminar for Chief Imams and Ulamas in Lagos, called on religious leaders across the state to avoid hate speech and shun incitement that could lead to violence.
The seminar was part of programmes designed to build capacity of Muslim clerics

The revered Muslim leader urged his colleagues to desist from castigating political leaders. “We need to encourage them, advice them and also pray for them so that the economy can prosper because if there is no peace in the country, no religion will prosper”, he said.

According to Abou-Nolla Muslim clerics’ engagement with political leaders seems to be poor, tasking clerics to uphold, wholeheartedly, the duty of inviting people (political leaders inclusive) to goodness by enjoying what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
He also urged them to forge a common front in order to tackle the challenges facing the Ummah.

The Chairman, Council of Imams and Alfas, Eti-Osa, Imam Yoosuf Abdul-Barri Afini, said the seminar was organized for all the Chief Imam and Islamic scholars in Lagos division, to sensitise them on their duties in maintaining peace within the community.

He said the forum would also serve as a reminder for those who are seeking for elective posts that they should not make promises that they would not be able to fulfill.

The Guest Speaker, Sheikh Abdurahman Adangba, advised Muslim clerics to increase their knowledge of the Qur’an and the Sunnah in order to sustain positive image of Islam.

Adangba said that the active involvement of Muslim scholars in government is an effective tool when it comes to sustaining positive image of Islam.

He therefore suggested that that all mosques should be equipped with a library. The mosque must have bank account where all donations that come to the mosque are kept; mosque must have an investment which is going to be a source of income; cooperative should be in the mosque where members can borrow interest free loan and a zakat foundation should be established to help less privilege Muslims.