Someone posted a blog titled "Nigeria religious riots 'kills scores' in Jos" (http://sierraleonenow.com/blog/view/id_383/title_nigeria-religious-riots-’kill-scores’-in-jos /)

Here is my though on the issue of religious tolerance.

This development teaches Africans two lessons. First, it teaches us how the greed of our leaders to hold onto power affects us. President Yar'Adua has left Nigeria for months because of failing health. However, he did not think it fit to relinquish power. Only recently did Obasanjo made a statement advising his successor to resign because of his health. Our politicians should put the interest of their people ahead of personal gains or glory. How can someone be in the sick bed and run a country. I am not saying that is the cause for all this new developments, but people can take advantage of things like this.

The second lesson Africans need to learn here is the need for us to live as a unit irrespective of tribal, religious or political differences. A civil war is the last thing a country needs. Civil wars across Africa has been the most debilitating of all wars. If we want to grow, we need to think and act as one. If some people are pulling in one direction and others in the other, what can we ever achieve? When Muslims and Christians fight in Nigeria, I ask myself "Which of these two religions is the right one?", but then I realize that God knows better. He knows which of us is good and which one of us is bad. He is not gonna take all the Christians or all the Muslims to Heaven. He is gonna take the good ones. I am only a Christian because I am not a Muslim. I don't hold anything against Muslims. There are good Christians and good Muslims, bad Christians and bad Muslims. When would Africa and the world ever be mature enough to accept these things.

Recently, France was in the spotlight again in connection with the French governments ban on the Burqa. The attempt of the French government to ban public use of the Burqa (clothing worn especially by Islamic women to cover their entire body) is a laugh as one women puts it. Indeed, it is. The West practices Democracy, a type of government that respects the rights of its people. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of association. These women are expressing themselves and associating themselves with a particular religion, what the hell have they done wrong? Women in these so-called Western countries are allowed to wear G-strings (which seems to be the opposite to covering the entire body) in public places like beaches, so why ban the Burqa, which seems to instill moral values. President Sarkozy described the Burqa as an "affront to women's dignity", which is ironic because it is the French government that is tampering with the dignity of women by allowing G-strings but not Burqa. As long as a woman wearing the Burqa does so on her own accord, I don't see the harm in wearing it. The world and not just Africa needs to change their religious views. Let's learn to uphold our values but respect other people's values.