November 15 2004

Saturday November 20, 12 noon to 6pm, St Mark's Church, Montgomery Hall, 58 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW

Two Nigerians who were once on opposite sides of the religious conflict are now working together for peace. One lost his arm and the other his two brothers, but now they are working together to bring peace in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 1999.

Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa and the Reverend James Movel Wuye, both from Kaduna, are joint directors of the Kaduna Muslim-Christian Mediation Centre, northern Nigeria.

In Kaduna state, the 'shari'ah' riots of 2000 and 'Miss World' riots in 2002 led to more than 2,500 deaths and the destruction of millions of dollars of property. A fragile peace exists today.

The Imam had his brothers and his spiritual leader killed in the violence. The minister had his arm cut off by extremists.

Imam Ashafa said: "We were two militant religious activists, but now we are working to create space, not just for peace, but also for the transformation of society'We were both victims of the situation that we both had a part in creating."

Rev Wuye added: "We were both programmed to hate one another, to Islamise or evangelise at all costs. This threatens the very existence of Nigeria."

Baroness Caroline Cox, President of CSW, will be leading a panel of distinguished persons to round up the conference and to discuss 'The Way Forward'.

The meeting is being hosted by the Nigeria Reconciliation Group (NIREG), a London-based NGO that seeks to mobilise Nigerians in the UK to engage in addressing the challenging issues currently facing the country.

Refreshments are provided.

CSW is a human rights charity working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs. We also promote religious liberty for all.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

In 1999 the two keynote speakers co-authored 'The Pastor and the Imam: Responding to conflict', which describes their experiences and illustrates Biblical and Qur'anic approaches to peace.