When religious tension between Muslims and Christians rocked northern Nigeria on Jan. 8 of this year, the refrain of religiously fueled violence sounded so much like it had before. The “other” was at fault for the problems of a region, country and world. But when the tensions boiled over and violence broke out, resulting in burning down of churches and mosques and the death of more than 100 people, the response was profoundly different.
This time, young volunteers from World Faith Nigeria took action. Responding to a distress call, they rescued 72 passengers from a bus that was set on fire by young attackers. On both sides were young adults taking action. But this time one set of young adults was responding to save lives and, ideally, prevent future violence.
Nigeria, like many countries around the world, hosts interfaith dialogues marked by the convening of religious leaders to counter acts of violence. While this work is groundbreaking and necessary, it alone is not enough to turn the trends of religious violence. Violence perpetrated by youth can best be countered by equally motivated youth working toward the greater good.