The Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage-Mohammed has called on Nigerians to rally round the government to attain peace in the country, stressing that the task should not be left with the government alone.
The monarch who is also the Chairman, Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, gave the charge at the public presentation of the book titled, ‘Philosophy of War and Peace Under Islamic Law,’ authored by the head of the Public and International Department in the Faculty of Law at Baze University in Abuja.
He added that peace can only be achieved when citizens come together and acknowledge that government alone cannot bear the responsibility to tackle the current challenges confronting the nation.
The royal father insisted that peace is everyone’s responsibility, and as such, citizens must support the government’s efforts while doing its utmost to create a better society for all.
“What we need to do is cooperate with the government. Everyone must make it their business to support the government and make whatever contribution, no matter how small, to ensure that we maintain peace in this country.
“It is achievable. It is not a mirage. Other countries that have achieved peace have done so not because they are better than us in any respect, but because of the commitment of the people and their love for their country.
“I think essentially, that is what we must try to cultivate – love for our country. We have to accept that no one will come to defend our country for us. We have to do it ourselves.
“Once that is done, what is this small thing (violence) going on that we cannot overcome and crush when we put our heads together? We can do it,” the respected Emir said.
The author of the book, Dr. Nurean Dindi, explained that the book was the inspired by the austerity happening across the world, saying that influenced the title and philosophy of war and peace under Islamic law were chosen.
He stressed that there was general misconception worldwide that Islam is the religion of war as everything attributed to Islam is viewed as hostile.
Dr Dindi stressed the need to straighten the notion to let the world know the true concept of armed conflicts in Islam.
“Must there be war? Why should there be war? The singular purpose of war under Islamic law is to protect individuals, save lives, souls, and protect the religion itself.
“If nobody is aggressive against the Muslim world, there will be no war. There will be peace all around. If the jurisprudence of Islam in relation to war and peace is rightly observed, we will have less hostility and more peace in the world. This is the basic motive of writing the book,” Dr. Dindi said.
