Muslim

Methodist Archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen of Ibadan, Nigeria has appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders worldwide to act together in the face of extremist violence that threatens to divide Nigerians along religious lines.

In response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, many members of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ congregations reached out to Muslims in their communities to support and encourage them. In the face of ever-increasing anti-Islam sentiment, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. urges congregations to redouble those efforts.

MCC U.S. also calls on the Florida church that has stated its intent to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the attacks to abandon the plan and instead embrace Christ’s love for all.

As the war-torn country of Sudan moves past its recent elections and towards a crucial vote that will decide if the south splits from the northern region, Bishop Macram Gassis is continuing his tireless efforts to promote peace.

Bishop Macram Gassis of Sudan was the subject of a recent National Catholic Register piece that spoke about the prelate's efforts since his appointment in the 1980s within the conflict-ridden country.

A World Council of Churches (WCC) Living Letters team has appealed to Nigeria's religious leaders to encourage people belonging to different ethnic and faith groups to take initiatives to promote lasting peace and harmony in violence-affected communities.

The general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches has urged citizens in Africa's biggest country to accept the outcome of an election that gave victory to President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. 



"Our perspective is, because voting went on peacefully, we would also like the parties to accept the outcome of the elections and move forward," the Rev. Ramadan Chan Liol, a Baptist, told Ecumenical News International when in Nairobi on 24 April. 



Thousands of Nigerian women dressed in black and carrying Bibles, wooden crosses, pictures of victims, and branches symbolising peace marched in a central Nigerian state on Thursday to protest the massacre of about 500 villagers, who were mostly women and children.

The women, some with babies strapped on their back, walked from the headquarters of the Evangelical Church of West Africa in the city of Jos to the Plateau State House of Assembly calling for greater investigation into the mass murder of hundreds of people in two predominantly Christian villages near Jos.

The Nigerian Anglican Archbishop who oversees the area where more than 500 people were recently killed has urged people to understand the sacredness of human life.

“Some of these communities may never again be recognised in history because generations have been wiped out,” said the Rt Rev Benjamin Kwashi, Anglican Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria, in a statement.

"Hundreds of corpses of men, women, children and grandchildren littered the burned houses, roads, bush paths, farm areas and hiding places,” he said.