Inter-Faith Spreads God's Love

August 8, 2018, Baga Sola, CHAD- An inter-faith initiative in the Lake Chad Basin region that has brought together Moslems and Christians, supported by World Vision, is impacting positively an area where the negative effects of the Boko Haram terror group have hit hardest. 

The Bol Inter-Faith group which has brought together Moslems, Catholics, Evangelicals, the Assemblies of God churches and a government representative, is laying down modalities of officially registering the group, that has already rolled out sensitization activities in the area.

“Even before World Vision supported us, we had come together as a committee, to use our religious positions to reach out to our congregations,” Bol’s Inter-Faith committee’s president, who is a Moslem cleric, Mahamat Noor Younnous says.

He noted that their greatest motivation was the strong desire for peaceful co-existence, despite their diverse religious faiths, as both religions stand for the love of God, which does not advocate killing others.

 The president says the committee which is being officially registered as an association will foster peace among families, among different communities, to restore the waning confidence among members, who are directly affected by negative effects of the Boko Haram group.

We are motivated by a collective desire for peace

“We are very happy with World Vision who strongly support us, giving us an opportunity to work together. Even if any group emerges that tells us to abandon this mission, we will not because of the strong bond and vision that brought us together,” he says.

He stresses that religion is not the glue that sticks them together, but a bigger vision of championing peace, as Moslems and Christians both face similar challenges.

When asked about the terror group that is in the area, the religious leaders said they worked for God and not human beings, stressing that God would protect them against adversaries.

“Actually Moslems and Christians have no problems with each other. We both believe in a God that clearly commands us not to kill,” he says.

Boko Haram is not our enemy

Pastor Adam Jack, the committee’s secretary, who is from the Evangelical church agrees and adds that they do not consider Boko Haram an enemy, but a lost group that needs to be reached out to with love and brought back to light.

 “We need to reach out to Boko Haram members with love, pray for and preach to them. It is the devil that is the enemy. Not them,” he stresses.

He adds that their platform is not an isolated initiative, as another one exists at national level that is supported by the government,” he adds.

Chad and especially the Lake Chad Basin region, is predominantly Moslem. World Vision is responding to 400,000 internally displaced people and refugees, who have been affected by the Boko Haram terror group.

When it began its operations in Chad, World Vision’s head office was in Moundou, in the South, where most Christians are located, but later moved the headquarters to N’Djamena, the capital city. 

Michael Arunga, is a communications Consultant, World Vision Chad