WCC general secretary extends sympathies for those affected by Nigeria mosque attack

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Following the attack on the Great Mosque of Kano in Nigeria on 28 November resulting in the deaths of over 100 people, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit extended sympathies for those bereaved or wounded, offering prayers for Nigerians who, he said, are “so full of potential” yet “wounded by violence and injustice”.

Tveit made these comments in a statement issued on 3 December from the WCC headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

In the statement, Tveit said the attack is a “salutary reminder that both Muslim and Christian communities are threatened by, and suffering from, the extremist violence which is impacting the lives of so many of the people of northern Nigeria”.

“There is a particular evil in any attack on people at a place of worship. My sympathies go to those who have been bereaved or wounded in this shocking attack,” he added.

Tveit extended his support to the Emir of Kano, H.E. Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi, as he seeks to lead his community and nation forward following this tragic event. Recalling his visit to Nigeria in 2012, cosponsored by the WCC and the Jordanian Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, he said, “We, Christians and Muslims together, had the honour of meeting the Emir's predecessor H.E. Abo Bayero and were made very aware of the important and constructive role being played by the Emirate of Kano both in inter-religious relations and in challenging corruption in government and society”.