Nigerian Peacemakers Pastor James Wuye and Imam Ashafa visit Brandeis

On May 20, 2009 Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, founders of the Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC) in Kaduna, Nigeria, appeared at Brandeis to screen a documentary on their lives called The Imam and the Pastor, which depicts how they overcame a violent past and built a partnership for peace.

Imam Ashafa and
Pastor James

Former sworn enemies who as youth participated in the ethno-religious violence that plagues Nigeria, Ashafa and Wuye have since gone on not only to reconcile with one another, but have joined forces tofound the IMC, which works to strengthen coexistence among Muslims and Christians throughout Nigeria and increasingly, in other parts of the world.

The film, which has been shown at the UN and the British House of Commons, details their membership in militant groups involved in conflict between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. In a defining event that occurred while taking part in an outbreak of violence, Wuye lost his hand while Ashafa’s spiritual mentor and two close relatives were killed.

Following the screening, the imam and pastor answered questions, including on the role of women in peace efforts as well as the influence of religion in Nigeria. “Religion has been misused and abused,” said Ashafa. Religious identity can trigger violence, he added, but the cause is typically political or over resources.

The imam and pastor describe how they made a transition to a peaceful path, fueled by a commitment to their religious faith and its teachings on the importance of peace and forgiveness, which inspired them to come together for the good of their community. “We stay together for the human family,” said Wuye, “just as a married couple sometimes stays together for the sake of the children.”

The event was cosponsored by Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Coexistence International, the International Center on Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, Brandeis Interfaith Chaplaincy, the BUILD (Brandeis University Interfaith Leadership Development) Fellow Program, and the Graduate Programs in Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts/Boston.