BRIDGEBUILDING: NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001442

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF NI
SUBJECT: BRIDGEBUILDING: NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM
RELATIONS - PART 1

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Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Heather Merritt for Reasons 1
.4 (b and d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: PolOffs met on June 29 with Dr. Josiah
Fearon, Anglican Archbishop of Kaduna Diocese, to discuss his
work in brokering Christian-Muslim dialogue in Nigeria.
Fearon decried politicians' use of faith as a campaigning
tool and assessed that most inter-faith animosities in
Nigeria are fueled primarily by economic rather than
religious concerns. He noted that, although Muslim-Christian
relations have progressed considerably in recent years, the
crux of interfaith conflict is exceedingly rooted in
perceived economic inequities. Fearon, an expert on Nigerian
Islam and well-publicized champion of inter-faith
reconciliation, is active in Kaduna State politics and
supports a number of NGOs focused on fostering education and
mutual understanding between Nigerian Christians and Muslims.
END SUMMARY.

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Criticizes Using Faith as a Campaigning Tool
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2. (C) Fearon was critical of political candidates using
religion as a campaign tool and instead advocated that
platforms focus on policy issues. Regarding the April 2007
state-level elections, Fearon noted that southern-Kaduna
Christians had attempted to convince People's Democratic
Party (PDP) gubernatorial nominee Isaiah Balat to exploit
Kaduna's religious divide to solidify a popular base among
Christians. Balat publicly criticized this tactic, but lost
the PDP gubernatorial nomination to current Kaduna State
Governor Mohammed Namadi Sambo. (Comment: Northern Kaduna
and Kaduna metropolis are predominantly Muslim while Southern
Kaduna is predominantly Christian). He opined that
southern-Kaduna political candidates' use of the Christian
faith as a rallying point against northern-Kaduna Muslim
candidates would prevent the southern-Kaduna polity, which he
assessed to be fractured along tribal lines, from fielding a
winning gubernatorial candidate in the near-term.

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Economics Create Christian-Muslim Divide
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3. (C) Christian-Muslim relations in Kaduna State have
progressed considerably in recent years and Fearon
underscored how Kaduna State has become a center for
Christian-Muslim dialogue in Nigeria. He made clear his
assessment, however, that inter-faith strife in Kaduna State
exceedingly emanated from perceived economic inequities
buttressed by the indigene/non-indigene divide rather than
any deep-seated religious antipathy between Christians and
Muslims. He elaborated that indigene Muslims would claim
Christians who emigrated to Kaduna State had cornered
economic opportunities, while Christians claimed
marginalization at the hands of the Muslim establishment.
Fearon noted that this mirrored the economic underpinnings of
the Catholic/Protestant conflict in Northern Ireland.


4. (U) COMMENT: Religious differences often mirror regional
and ethnic differences. For example, persons in the North
and Middle Belt are predominantly Muslim and from the
Hausa-Fulani ethnic group while many southern ethnic groups
are predominantly Christian. In many areas of the Middle
Belt, such as Kaduna, Muslim Fulani tend to be pastoralists,
while Muslim Hausa and Christian ethnic groups tend to be
farmers or work in urban areas. Consequently, ethnic,
regional, economic, and land use competition often correlate
with religious differences between competing groups. (See
International Religious Freedom Report 2006).

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Teaching How the Other Side Lives
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5. (C) Fearon is involved in a number of NGOs focused on
inter-faith dialogue. A well-publicized project with which
he is associated is the United States Institute of Peace

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(USIP)-funded and Kaduna-based Interfaith Mediation Centre
which spearheads the "Pastor and the Imam" project. Fearon
claimed that he originally encouraged Pastor James Wuye, one
of the Centre's leaders, to become involved in the project.
Early in its implementation, Fearon said both Christians and
Muslims involved had serious reservations about the project.
Muslim leaders accused Fearon of proselytizing to their
community and Christian leaders accused him of "selling out
to the Muslims." Wuye later confessed to Fearon his
involvement in an aborted assassination plan against him.


6. (U) While Wuye's project focuses on grassroots-level
engagement, Fearon's Bridgebuilders organization focuses on
inter-faith dialogue between national-level religious
leaders. This organization sponsors site visits for clergy
members and theological exchanges for Christian and Islamic
religious academics. For example, Fearon cited an event in
which Muslim leaders visited the National Ecumenical Centre
in Abuja and envisioned expanding these offerings to include
visits for Christian leaders to the National Mosque. He also
mentioned how the group had sponsored six Christian and
Muslim leaders to visit the UK and participate in a program
sponsored by Canterbury Cathedral, which is internationally
renown for its conflict resolution work.


7. (U) Fearon said he was also involved in the Jacaranda
Farm Project, which focused on brokering inter-faith dialogue
on the back of trade education. The project is located at a
doctor's former holiday retreat, which Fearon converted into
an educational center in which both Christian and Muslim
students live in a common residence and learn trades such as
poultry farming, allowing students to gain marketable skills
as well as learn religious tolerance. Fearon invited PolOffs
to visit Jacaranda Farm and to discuss ongoing inter-faith
dialogue initiatives at a later date.

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Comment
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8. (C) Christian-Muslim tensions in Kaduna State have eased
since the 2002 Miss World Pageant and the 2006 Danish cartoon
riots. Inter-faith dialogue initiatives are active in Kaduna
and other northern cities with significant Christian
populations, including Kano and Maiduguri. While these
initiatives may be responsible for some of the lukewarm
progress we see in inter-faith reconciliation, their
widespread impact remains to be seen and their implementation
is often arbitrary. Aside from grassroots-level inter-faith
work, the Nigerian government has made strides to amend
policies viewed as inimical to peaceful coexistence.
President Umaru Yar'Adua has also recently pledged to create
an inter-faith advisory council, drawing on prominent
Christian and Muslim leaders.


9. (C) Post has engaged Pastor James Wuye's Interfaith
Mediation Centre, but with mixed results. The Public Affairs
Section has been involved with the Centre for approximately
ten years and assesses it is cooperative, responsive, and
widely praised among the diplomatic community in Nigeria.
However, other Post elements, including the Political Section
and an embedded U.S. military team have expressed skepticism
about the Centre's efficacy. The US military team assessed
Wuye's program, while well-intentioned, was poorly-planned
and expressed concern that Wuye was more preoccupied with
funding the Centre than executing programs. PolOffs assess
that Fearon was genuine in his testimonials and entreaties,
but may be too close to church and NGO policy to objectively
recognize challenges facing these NGOs.
CAMPBELL