KAICIID laments politicising, misusing religion

The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID): an intergovernmental organization promoting the use of dialogue globally for conflict prevention/resolution has expressed concern over what it called “the politicization and misuse of religion” in the country.

This was made known in Abuja during an Interreligious Dialogue for Civil actors convened by KAICIID International Fellow Stella Francis, on the 5th of February 2020.

The project  which was aimed at promoting religious understanding for national development had begun on the 28th of January with a storytelling and discussion session.

According to Stella, after selecting and training Fellows in Interreligious and Intercultural dialogue, KAICIID continues to support Fellows to carry out Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue initiatives through a micro grant scheme.

Fielding questions from the media, she maintained that “religion remains one of the strongest human motivation, and the most effective tool for mobilizing groups”.

She however regretted that this potential is being politicized and misused.

“Such miss use would only create intolerance and division among other negative outcomes which can challenge National development,” she stressed.

The convener further highlighted that the Nation’s civil sector which is a core component for development could be greatly affected from the politicization of religion and hence the need for Interreligious Dialogue of this kind.

The project focused on participants from selected civil agencies in Abuja and during the interview, participants expressed great appreciation and hoped that such initiative would be conducted often and expanded to reach a larger audience.

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