Items of Interest February 11, 2013 Issue

Safe haven for Christians and Muslims alike

Kingsley Madueke

“Nigeria: Safe haven for Christians and Muslims alike”
© 2012 Radio Netherlands Worldwide
All rights reserved
Reprinted from allafrica.com. October 19, 2012.

Normally speaking, Our Lady of Apostles Hospital would have been seriously affected by the waves of unrest that engulfed the city of Jos in northern Nigeria in the past decade. Its location on the borderline between the Muslim-dominated Masallacin Juma’a neighbourhood and the Christian Apata community is precarious, to say the least. However, the hospital’s impartiality towards patients, regardless of their ethno-religious background, has inspired peaceful coexistence between the two communities. 

The corridors and wards of Our Lady of Apostles Hospital (OLA) in Jos are a temporary home to patients of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. That wouldn’t be a remarkable feat if it wouldn’t be for the fact that over the last ten years the northern Nigerian city has been the epicentre of ethno-religious violence between Muslims and Christians.

Fatima Isa, 19, is a Muslim whose mother has been in the hospital for three weeks. “The hospital workers are very professional,” says Isa. “Even though it is owned by a church, the staff members treat everyone respectfully, not minding whether you’re a Muslim or a Christian.”

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