DIWA Trains Religious Leaders On Countering Extremism
Usman Musa Ibeto, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of DIWA.
By Murtala Muhammad
Religious leaders in Bauchi state have undergone a five-day training on devising ways to curtail violent extremism in Nigeria.
The workshop with the theme “Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism Through Alternative Narratives” was organized by a non governmental organization, Development Initiative for West Africa, DIWA.
Speaking to Radio, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of DIWA, Usman Musa Ibeto said during the five-day engagement, participants were acquainted to the knowledge around the narratives of Islamic extremists and counter the narratives, through the use of Qur’anic Verses and Hadith of the Prophet.
Usman Ibeto explained that the participants, who were selected based on their track records are expected to cascade the knowledge acquired to the public to understand that violent extremism is contrary to the core Islamic teachings.
He said by doing that, the society would be enlightened about violent extremism and in turn practice Islam as contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
A participant and Chief Imam in one of the Juma’at Mosques in Bauchi metropolis, Malam Abubakar Zailani commended DIWA for conducting the workshop, saying it would impact their preachings and other fora of discussing Islamic issues.
Another participant from Katagum local government area, Malama Laraba Danjuma said violent extremists were painting Islam bad and any effort to stop the practice would be warmly welcomed by all.
Our Correspondent reports that the workshop drew influential preachers, Imams and Ulamahs from the local government areas of the state.
