External Relations & Development

Imam and Pastor Share their Plea for Peace

Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye shared their message of hope and reconciliation with a packed audience at the JIBC campus in New Westminster on January 21, 2008. For eight years, the two led opposing factions in a bloody clash of faiths that claimed tens of thousands of lives in Nigeria. Ashafa lost his spiritual leader and Wuye lost his right hand.

In 1995, these two protagonists made peace and now lead the Interfaith Mediation Centre - a Nigerian-based organization that sends out teams of Muslims and Christians to help resolve conflict in troubled areas.

As detailed in the award-winning documentary on their relationship, The Imam and the Pastor, this unlikely duo exemplifies the value of alternative ways of resolving conflict. Their efforts to spread peace between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria provide an archetype for resolving conflict, not only in Nigeria, but also across the globe.