Group Condemns ‘Arna’ Label On Christians, Warns Against Religious Rhetoric

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has expressed concern over recent remarks attributed to a Muslim cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Jingir, particularly his reported description of Christians as “Arna,” a Hausa term commonly used to refer to an infidel or unbeliever.

In a statement issued to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the national chairman of NCYP, Isaac Abrak, described the reported remark as unfortunate and inappropriate, particularly coming from a prominent faith leader in Nigeria’s religiously diverse society.

Abrak said the description was an inaccurate representation of Christians and amounted to a denigration of the faith.

“Christians are faithful believers in Jesus Christ, whom we worship as the Son of the Almighty God. We are not ‘infidels’ or people without faith,” he said, stressing that religious discourse should not diminish the faith and identity of millions of Nigerians.

The group said Sheikh Jingir, given his age, experience and position as a religious leader, should understand the potential consequences of inflammatory language.

NCYP urged religious leaders to exercise restraint, wisdom and responsibility in their public statements, warning that rhetoric capable of provoking religious division could have serious consequences.

The organisation also warned that divisive religious statements could create an environment that extremist and criminal elements might exploit to manipulate vulnerable citizens, deepen radicalisation, recruit followers and fuel violence.

“Northern Nigeria has experienced devastating religious crises in the past,” the group said, adding that inflammatory statements, religious suspicion and the demonisation of people of another faith could undermine efforts to rebuild peace in the region.

According to NCYP, the warning became necessary to prevent a recurrence of religious and communal crises that have caused significant loss of lives and property across parts of Northern Nigeria.

The group said, as a Christian professional organisation with roots in Northern Nigeria, it was particularly concerned about protecting the fragile bonds of peaceful coexistence being rebuilt between Christians and Muslims.

It called on peace-loving Muslims, Islamic scholars and responsible religious leaders to condemn rhetoric capable of inflaming religious sentiments and undermining peaceful coexistence.

NCYP also urged relevant authorities to ensure that public figures whose utterances could inflame religious tensions are called to order within the bounds of the law.

On the 2023 presidential election, the group rejected attempts to portray the Muslim-Muslim ticket of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as a religious project.

NCYP said it supported and campaigned for Tinubu and Shettima ahead of the 2023 election, but maintained that its support was based on political considerations, leadership, policy direction and its assessment of the national interest.

“The decision by the APC to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket was a political strategy aimed at winning an election, and Nigerians were given the opportunity to accept or reject that strategy through the democratic process,” the group said.

It noted that the ticket subsequently secured the mandate of the electorate, arguing that the administration should be judged on its governance and performance rather than through religious calculations.

NCYP also cautioned against using claims about the numerical strength of Christians and Muslims as a tool for political or religious mobilisation.

The organisation said only a credible national census could authoritatively establish Nigeria’s population composition and urged Nigerians to await the next census rather than engage in competing claims over religious demographics.

According to the group, the central concern should be whether government protects the lives, rights and dignity of all Nigerians, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

NCYP said the insecurity affecting large parts of Northern Nigeria had already resulted in significant loss of lives, displacement, destruction of livelihoods and economic hardship.

It warned that Nigeria could not afford another cycle of religious suspicion and communal conflict at a time when the country was already battling terrorism, banditry and other forms of violent crime.

The group maintained that the fight against insecurity was not only a military challenge but also a struggle for the hearts and minds of Nigerians.

“We cannot defeat terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes while allowing the religious and social divisions that extremists and criminal elements can exploit to grow unchecked,” it said.

NCYP therefore urged Muslim and Christian leaders, politicians, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to reject inflammatory rhetoric and strengthen peaceful coexistence across the country.

“The North has suffered enough,” the organisation said, calling on Nigerians to confront divisive rhetoric before it develops into another crisis.

It added that the peace being rebuilt across communities must be protected from rhetoric capable of reopening old religious wounds.