On the occasion of the International Day to Combat
Islamophobia,
Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, Chairman of the Islamic Research and Daawa Foundation in Nigeria, highlighted Russia as a model for nations, including Nigeria, to emulate in fostering unity and achieving national goals.
He further explained that a strong sense of
national interest encourages citizens to work together toward common goals, regardless of their religious or cultural backgrounds.
“Look at how Russia has been so powerful in the world because it does not take religion as one of the things that will hinder their national interests,” he said.
For Nigeria, a country with a diverse religious landscape often marked by tensions, Sheikh Khalid stressed the need to harness religion as a force for unity rather than division.
The Islamic scholar also delivered a powerful critique of the ongoing
conflict in Gaza, accusing global powers of politicizing the crisis and failing to protect innocent lives. He called for a shift in narratives to prioritize peace and justice over political interests. He expressed deep concern over the world’s inaction in the face of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
Furthermore, he lamented the loss of innocent lives, emphasizing that such atrocities have no place in a civilized world. “Those innocent souls are mazing day in, day out, and are not supposed, in a civilized world, to be killed,” he stated. “We are destroying [what will come] and rebuilding again. Now we are talking of rebuilding Gaza. But in the first place, why did we fail to protect it if we really needed it?”
“Why do we prepare to destroy a very important and strategic area of the Middle East, just to protect some [other] people's interests? And that interest, whether we like it or not, is politically motivated,” the Islamic scholar asserted, calling for a fundamental change in how global leaders approach conflicts and urging them to “prioritize humanity over politics.”