We believe that we don’t have to fight over anything. What we need to do is to consult. Our interest is national development and this would make us have a meeting point. We must eschew violence and corruption. This will make us develop better attitude and love for our nation.
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| AbdulQadir AbdulRafi, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Nigeria |
Source/Credit: Vanguard Nigeria
By Aderonke Adeyeri | May 01, 2015
AS the 43rd annual National Youth Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, draws nearer, the National President of the Youth Organisation, AbdulQadir AbdulRafi in this interview bares his mind on religious tolerance, how Nigerian youth can contribute meaningfully to the peace and development in the country. Excerpts:
THIS appears to be a separate plan for Ahmadiyya schools?
The syllabus was meant for Ahmadiyya children. Ahmadiyya schools are secular institutions and they work with the government syllabus. We have a separate development plan for the Ahmadi children. Therefore, the syllabus was designed primarily for the Ahmadiyya children and it serves as an outline to teach them inside the mosqueWhat informed the choice of this year’s theme, ‘the role of Nigerian youths in peace building, reconciliation and national development’?
The choice of this year’s youth convention theme was informed by the transition from one civilian government to another. We thought about looking into the areas where the government had done well and look into the areas where there are pitfalls and the need to merge the two so that Nigeria can progress.
We believe that the major ingredient for national development is the need to have a continuous holistic policies.
What are the roles of the youths in ensuring peace and national development?
The last election showed that we have a lot of roles the youths can play for peace and national development. Recent statistics show that 70% of Nigerians are made up of the youths and that makes them vulnerable to a lot of undue influences. One of the ways the youths can ensure development is by shunning electoral violence and other forms of violence in all ramifications.
We believe that we don’t have to fight over anything. What we need to do is to consult. Our interest is national development and this would make us have a meeting point. We must eschew violence and corruption. This will make us develop better attitude and love for our nation.
What are the efforts of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Nigeria, in passing down essential information to families so that the youths will not become a tool for violence and menace to the society?
One of the major thrust of the Ahmadiyya community is to have Muslim families that do not condone violence. We guide against domestic violence. If domestic violence is reduced to a large extent, cases of broken homes would be reduced and there won’t be children without proper upbringing on the streets. The Ahmadiyya community laid so much emphasis on the development of the family because they constitute a vital part of the society.
We are working with our parent organization in order to improve family training. Also, we give pre-marital consultation to our youths before they get married as well as marital consultations and counsellings to all members who are married. We also engage in mentoring programme for the Ahmadi children and the Ahmadi youths.
As part of your social responsibility, what are the things communities benefit from you?
We will be having free medical services. Although we are not doing any surgery but we are giving out free eye glasses and free eye screening. We are doing it in conjunction with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and another voluntary organisation, “Humanity First”. We are also clearing a blocked drainage which is about 70 metres and the debris would be used to fill the damaged part of the road.
What do you think government should do to encourage the youths in playing their part in nation building?
There was a policy that was introduced recently by this administration, students were told to pay a certain amount for insurance so that they would be able to complete their education. This type of policy cannot grow the country. All over the world, quality basic education is a right of any child born in that country. We believe that government should lay more emphasis on quality education at no cost.
We want every Nigerian child to have a right to quality basic education. Also, government should provide avenues for empowerment. The incoming government has outlined empowerment program as part of what the youths should expect from him during his electioneering campaign. We believe that if it is actualized, the Nigerian youths would have a sense of belonging. For the youths to really believe in Nigeria, government has to be more responsive in provision of basic social services for the youths and the country in general.
What advice do you have for the youths in the face of xenophobic attack in South Africa?
The xenophobic attacks South Africa is experiencing is as a result of poor education. I want to strongly appeal to Nigeria youths never to consider a reprisal attack because an eye for an eye makes the world go blind. Retaliation is not a response or the solution to the xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa.
I do not support a situation whereby the youths of a particular country would not benefit from the resources of their country therefore, I would implore the South African government to do whatever they can, to ensure that the citizens of the country enjoy the benefits of independence and they should not be seen as second class citizens. The South African government should also look into the areas of youth empowerment, provision of social amenities for their youths so that they can conquer the challenges facing them.
I will also appeal to the Nigerian government to look critically to the issue of the Chibok girls and ensure they are brought back safely. Government must also do their best to ensure that such problem does not re-occur in the future. We believe that government is a continuum, we want to implore the incoming government to look critically to what other governments have done and look at the areas that are commendable and continue such that they can rejuvenate and bring in new policies that will strengthen the Nigeria economy and the citizens.
How can we advance religious tolerance in our polity?
Ahmadiyya does not tolerate and will not tolerate religious intolerance. We believe in the saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that a child is born pure. It is the parents that turn a child to either a Christian, Muslim or a Jew. We believe that humanity is made up of people who are pure and we have to explore the purity and advocate more on our individual differences. The differences can be overcome when we discover the basis of our interactions which is national development and global integration.
Read original post here: Nigeria: Ahmadiyya schools are secular, but there‘re separate devt plans for Ahmadis — AbduRafi
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