Group Cautions Clerics, Islamic Teachers On Extremism Teachings

By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna

To curtail negative teachings in various Islamic Centres and Schools across the nation, the Muslim Peace Network in Nigeria (MPN), has organised a one-day sensitization workshop for Arabic school teachers to inculcate peace among the children by creating awareness towards building a peaceful coexistence society.

Starnews Nigeria reports that the event was held at Mold Treasury Academy Kaduna with the theme: A one-day workshop for training of Islamic Teachers on how to prevent extremism in schools, in collaboration with Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP) and sponsored by Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation For Peace (COFP).

Speaking in an interview after the event, the Executive Director Muslim Peace Network in Nigeria (MPN), Imam Hussain Makonjuola, disclosed that there’s a need for inculcating peaceful coexistence by checkmating the schools’ curriculum and creating awareness for sustainable development of peace among various communities across the nation.

He added that one of the major reasons for them to organize the workshop is to ensure they sensitize the teachers of the Arabic schools to avoid extremism and its implications by training the teachers on peacebuilding because most of them feel they have the authority to preach or teach what they feel it’s alright by them.

He said, “we as Muslim Peace Network have gone to so many schools, went to various institutions and Churches to make sure we’ve sensitized the teachers, headmasters and Clerics about the importance of peace and to let them know what they are going to teach the children.

“There’s no other mechanism to be used to create peaceful coexistence among the society that will bring about peace aside from sensitization, training, Da’awa and creating awareness among us that will bring about peace between the Christians and Muslims.

“Government need to be checkmating the activities and curriculum of every school because there’s the need for the authority to regulate and take over the responsibility by creating the curriculum to avoid the teaching of extremism to inculcate peace in the heart of the children.

Imam Hussain Makonjuola appealed to parents, stakeholders, and traditional leaders to ensure they step up to responsibilities by checkmating the activities of the Clerics and schools curriculum to avoid the implications of being victims of having an extreme teaching society.