The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has called on Christians and Muslims in Nigeria to stop insulting one another, saying mutual respect is necessary for peaceful coexistence.
The Sultan spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during an event.
“We must be honest with ourselves that Christians can stop insulting Muslims. Muslims can stop insulting Christians. And that’s how we will live in peace,” he said.
The Sultan also warned against religious superiority, saying neither Christians nor Muslims should see themselves as better than the others.
“We are not here to say we are better than anybody. We are not better than anybody. He [God] is the creator of us all. He will determine who is better. And he knows how to do it. So I am not here to say I am better than anybody,” he said.
His comments came days after Islamic cleric Yahaya Jingir said Christians would have regarded themselves as superior to Muslims if not for the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
Although the Sultan did not directly mention Jingir, he stressed that no religious group should consider itself superior to another.
He also urged Nigerians to revive the habit of caring for their neighbours, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
“Allah created your neighbour for you. Whoever is your neighbour, you know what is required of you to do for your neighbour,” he said.
The Sultan further criticised the spread of false and insulting statements on social media, warning that those who deliberately make false claims about presidents, governors, senators and other public officials would answer to God.
He urged Nigerians to work towards fixing the country rather than promoting its breakup.
The Sultan also recalled the example of the late Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, who sheltered more than 200 Christians inside his mosque during a crisis in Plateau State. He described the act as an example of humanity that Nigerians should continue to remember.