CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

At the very heart of nature and human existence is religion. Not only does it give order to a just society, it also offers explanation to the ultimate meaning of life, and how to live accordingly in relation to other human beings. Thus Nottingham (2004) describes religion as;

A cultural tool by means of which man has been able to accommodate himself to his experience in his total environment including his fellow group members, the sacred and the world of nature

Therefore for the survival of any nation, religion must be seen as making an essential contribution. However, a cursory glance at religion today indicates that, it has become the source of disunity among people of the same religion and those of other religions. In many parts of the world, religion has become the source of unrest; Battles have been fought, won and lost, all in the name of religion due to the activities of religious extremists fanatics, politicians and trouble shooters.3  Thus the word of the psalmist thus comes to bear and is questioned here;

How wonderful it is, how pleasant for God’s people to live together in harmony it is, like the precious anointing oil, running down from Aaron’s head and beard.4

Islam and Christianity along with Judaism are the three world’s major monotheistic religions. That is the religions which believe in one God. All three religions were founded in the Middle East; all three of them make reference to the Torah, the revealed will of God as expressed in the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy5. The number of Muslims in the world is about eight to nine hundred million below the total number of Christians, but almost the same as the number of Catholics estimated at about nine hundred seventy six million(in 1996).6

The world of Islam stretches in a broad band by Senegal in the west coast of Africa to Indonesia in the eastern side of the Asian continent not far north of Australia. Apart from overwhelmingly Muslim countries of North Africa there are few countries south of the Sahara which does not have a sizeable Muslim population. Present day Europe and the United States of America in particular have a large followership of the Islamic religion too.

An increasing number of Catholics in Africa and Nigeria in particular have as neighbors or work colleagues, fellow Christians of other denomination as well as Muslims and even traditionalists. They pass by Protestant, Pentecostal churches and even Mosques to go to school, or to the market. They hear the early morning calling of the muezzin to Muslim prayers. But how much do we Christians know about our different faith beliefs and how much do we know about Islam? What prejudices do we harbor against Muslims and as Catholics, what prejudices do we have against other Christians and they against us?

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