Forgiveness The Pastor and Imam

Broadcast on July 30, 2013
With Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa & Pastor Dr. James Movel Wuye

Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa

Muslim Cleric, Nigerian Peace Builder

Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa, along with Pastor Dr. James Movel Wuye, works to end violent clashes between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. Their goal is to achieve peaceful co-existence through inter-faith cooperation and community education. They have designed a strategy to both prevent religious and political violence and resolve it when it happens. Their early-warning mechanism, developed in 1996, helps communities identify inflammatory situations and provides the means to reduce tensions. 

Their collective work in peace building using faith based approach began in 1995, and they have since managed to spread their messages of conflict-resolution to all corners of the globe. In addition to their preventive work, Ashafa and Wuye also focus on good governance. Their work has also spread beyond Nigeria to Northern Ghana, Burundi and Kenya. They are featured in a documentary on conflict resolution which was showcased at the UN Headquarters, at the House of Commons in the UK, and in Washington DC. This was made into a case study by the Tanenbaum Center of Interreligious Understanding. 

They have assisted organizations in Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and Native American communities in the United States. They have partnered in Sudan with the New Sudan Islamic Council and the New Sudan Church Council and in Kenya with the Kenyan Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and the Kenyan Council of Churches.  

Their work has earned them numerous accolades including the Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law  by University of Massachusetts 2012, Honorary Doctorate Degree of Interfaith Development by the University of Glasgow 2010, Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peace Maker Award 2010, Jack Chirac Conflict Resolution Award 2009, Honorary Doctorate Degree of Philosophy by Open University of Alternative Medicine Kolkata, India 2005, Peace Makers and Preventing Inter Religious Conflict Award by Nigerian Peoples Forum USA 2005, Heroes of Peace Award in Burundi 2004, Interfaith Cooperation Award by Search for Common Ground USA 2004, Bremen Peace Award by Threshold Foundation 2004, Pan Commonwealth Role Model Award Nigeria 2003, Honorary Member Elders Council of Native Americans Montana, USA 2001, The Millennium Peace Activist Award of the Tanenbaum Center of Interreligious Understanding USA 2000 among many others. 

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