While Cameroon is plagued by violence in these English-speaking regions, Imam Tukur Mohammed Edi, head of the Central Mosque in the city of Bamenda, North West region, told Agenzia Fides that “God is never on the side of those who kill.
“For me, as a believing individual, it is essential to put the Quran before me and to ask myself what I would say in such and such a situation. As Muslims, we in no way accept that killing, destruction, fighting can be the solution to problems, and ancient wisdom teaches us a simple but fundamental thing: when two factions are in conflict, it is decisive that one of the two calls for a dialogue, the other does everything possible to consider it, to put an end to this very serious conflict, the factions must meet to discuss the roots of the crisis and find a point of agreement. God is never on the side of those who kill, of those who use violence, “said the imam.
“There is a substantial inequality of treatment which makes us all feel discriminated against without any real possibility of speaking. The agreements signed over the years have never been respected. Six years of crisis is really a long time. Leaders, we are quite saddened: to see so many people die is appalling and we say “enough violence”. Stop to discuss the root of the problem: how many more people have to die or suffer before we are seated around a table? We religious leaders will continue to work together, with hope and strength, for peace and justice,” said the Imam of Bamenda.