Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria

This book is an intercultural study of Christian-Muslim relationship in Nigeria, spanning the pre-and post-Independence eras. It seeks, against the backdrop of the persistent crisis and conflicts; to explore avenues for dialogue and harmonious interaction between adherents of the two most patronized (albeit non-indigenous) religions in Nigeria -- Christianity and Islam. The author examines the historical backgrounds of the country's ethnographic and sociopolitical configuration, the origin, nature, and impact of each religion, the positive as well as negative dimensions of the relations between Muslims and Christians under various epochs of Nigeria's political life. The book concludes with theological overview and prescriptive advocacy on the pathway to inter-religious peace and harmony in Nigeria. Dr. Isidore Uchechukwu Chibuzo Nwanaju, a Nigerian scholar and Catholic priest, studied Philosophy and Theology at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Ikot Ekpene and Enugu, affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, the Université Catholique de Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, and the Katholieke Universiteit, Nijmegen, Netherlands. A member of the International Catholic Missiologists and the American Academy of Religion, Rev. Fr. Nwanaju has extensive pastoral as well as scholarly research experience, with special interest in interfaith dialogue and global religious peace.