Friday October 7, 2011 was an eventful day for all Muslims in the South West Region. The caravan of the Council of Muslims and Imams of Cameroon (CIDIMUC) was in Buea in continuation of its nation-wide crusade for peace before, during and after the October 9 presidential election.
The venue was the Buea Islamic Complex Central Mosque (dubbed Mosque of Grace) where the Governor of the South West Region, Koumpa Issa, his aides and all the Imams and Muslim dignitaries of the Region converged not only for the usual Friday prayers, but for a special religious service for peace in Cameroon to be consolidated.
The General Coordinator of CIDIMUC, Dr. Moussa Oumarou had three key messages. The first revolved on Imams and their role in encouraging faithful and people to vote objectively for the candidate who will foster Cameroon's destiny. Secondly, Muslim faithful were urged to refrain from and denounce all forms of religious fanaticism that threaten national unity and destroy government's achievements. Thirdly, Dr. Moussa Oumarou stressed the need to preserve the peace that Cameroonians currently enjoy and for Imams to work in partnership with administrative authorities.
"We can't wait for peace to be threatened before we start reacting. We must be vigilant against those who preach religious fanaticism and whose only objective is to manipulate people to destabilise the country," Dr. Moussa Oumarou reiterated in a press interview.
A major highlight during the event was a series of prayers in which each Imam prayed for specific subjects concerning Cameroon. Chiekh Oumarou Malam Djibril, on behalf of the General Coordinator of CIDIMUC, prayed for "Allah to accept the prayers" and grant Cameroon peace for ever.
"May Allah protect our administrative, religious and traditional authorities and protect Cameroon from the calamities that are plaguing other countries," he added. Governor Koumpa Issa encouraged the CIDIMUC initiative and expressed appreciation with the presence of the peace caravan that was in Buea after similar outings in other parts of the country.
