During the last period of Ramadan, a text message was widely circulated, inviting the public, especially Muslims, to a lecture by the internationally-renowned African-American Muslim scholar, Shaikh Khalid Yasin. The lecture was titled, "Peaceful Coexistence among Muslims and Non-Muslims." Venue was the International Conference Centre, Abuja and each ticket was sold for N2000.
Though this writer could not attend due to pressing engagements outside Abuja, reports indicated that the venue was jam-packed not only by Muslims, who paid for their tickets but also Christians who were admitted free of charge. The money raised from ticket sales and donations at the venue, according to the Muslimah Foundation and Light of the Ummah, the organisers, was intended for developmental projects to assist the less-privileged.
Sheikh Khalid Yasin, who is the leader of Purpose of Life Foundation and Purpose Media Group, also visited Lagos and Osun states, where he addressed thousands of faithful. Having watched and listened to some of his videos and audio materials, I regretted missing the opportunity of attending the seminar by the charismatic lecturer who believes strongly in religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among adherents of different faiths and creeds.
Providence, however, intervened a week later when I had the rare opportunity of meeting Sheik Yasin while on tour of the United Arab Emirates. I had been invited as resource person at a Dubai public relations programme organised by Zenith Professional Training. The charismatic speaker was coincidentally also on tour of Sharjah, another town in UAE. One of the facilitators of the PR programme, Abdul Rasheed, who is a friend of Khalid Yasin, promised to introduce us to him.
In company with my wife, I was driven to Sharjah to meet Yasin. He is not only charismatic, he is eloquent and simply humble. We shared a dinner, had breakfast together and attended a ceremony, where a child was named after him by one of his fans in Sharjah. We also accompanied him to counselling sessions with young graduates and some elders.
Sheik Yasin is not just a religious scholar; he is a motivational speaker who is very mindful of his topic and his target audience. He is articulate and sincere but careful never to hurt the feelings of his audience, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. From our close interactions and discussions, one could see an advocate who strongly believes that Muslims and Christians should embrace tolerance and brotherliness as both faiths are connected.
He believes the communal and religious clashes in Nigeria are the result of intolerance and vengeance. He also accuses religious zealots of conspiring against innocent men, women and children. Anger and vengeance, according to him, have poisoned the air so that all human life and dignity have been marginalised and compromised. In his view, fanatics abound in every facet of life but leaders and followers must ensure they contain the excesses of such elements through public enlightment, dialogue and economic empowerment.
Yasin also admonished that where dialogue fails, it could be necessary to identify the extremists among religious followers and expose them for what they are.
According to him, "Christians and Muslims in Africa were living together in peace and harmony for centuries before the arrival of conspirators and dirty politicians," who deliberately created enmity and hatred among people of different faiths, tribes and regions for selfish gains.
Though a religious leader, it was clear that Sheik Yasin was greatly concerned about happenings in developing countries. He expressed alarm about insecurity, poverty and diseases ravaging some African countries. He talked very passionately about Nigeria's potential and greatness through its abundant human and material resources that are not being harnessed.
He, therefore, called on African leaders to give priority to education, agriculture and industrialisation to galvanise economic development and job security. He urged governments to invest in youth development and make huge investments in skill acquisition for self-reliance. He also enjoined Muslims to take advantage of modernisation and to receive professional training in engineering, medicine, architecture and law, in a deliberate effort to be relevant in global politics.
Concerned about the crisis in the Arab world, Sheikh Yasin lamented the propensity of western media to twist their editorial contents to make it appear that the crisis is religious, whereas most of the issues are political, tribal or economic and have nothing to do with Islam as a religion.
On information technology, he pointed out that there was nothing wrong with social media if parents and guardians closely monitor their children and wards against the negative influences of some of the platforms. He therefore implored guardians to actively engage the youth on the ethics of society, morality and spirituality.
Sheikh Khalid Yasin is an American who, though proud of his nation, expressed reservations about the qualities of some of its leaders. He is an outspoken lecturer on contemporary topics such as global politics, youth empowerment, gender issues and economic development in the context of Islam. Born a Christian in New York, Yasin embraced Islam in 1965 and has dedicated the last 35 years of his life debunking misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. He has done this through diplomatic approaches and respect for the feelings of his audience. Through those tactics, he has won converts in different nations. He is due to be in Nigeria again to engage youths and women on their potential.
source: Punch
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