環(huán)球英語20160513 From Enemies to Peace Workers

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Ryan Geertsma.

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And I’m Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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A group of Muslims and Christians stand together near the town of Yelwa, in the country of Nigeria. This group is gathered around a mass grave. Many bodies are buried here. They are bodies of people who died during violent fighting between Christians and Muslims. But today, this group of Muslims and Christians are not fighting each other. Instead, they are praying together. And they are led by two religious leaders – Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye. These two religious leaders did not always work together. In fact, they were once enemies. But through their faith, they forgave each other. And now, they work for peace between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria and around the world. Today's Spotlight is on Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye.

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Imam Ashafa is from a strong Muslim family. For many generations, his family members were religious leaders. He comes from a tradition that has worked to protect, recover and reform Islam. Ashafa has always followed this Islamic tradition. So, it was not a surprise when he became an imam or Islamic leader in his community.

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However, Pastor James Wuye’s story is a little different. Wuye did not always follow the teachings of the Christian religion. He came from a Christian family, but he was not devoted to his faith. When he was a young man, he drank a lot of alcohol. If he went to church, it was only to meet girls. But one day this all changed. Wuye was sitting in church listening to the pastor speak. The pastor’s words made Wuye recognize that he was not living the way God wanted him to live. In a film called "The Imam and the Pastor," Wuye explained,

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"I had a strong feeling in my heart that God was speaking to me and that I needed to change. That was my turning point."

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After this, Wuye decided to follow the Christian faith. And later, he became a Christian pastor and community leader.

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By 1987, Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye were both religious leaders in the city of Kaduna. Kaduna is an area of major conflict between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Here, thousands of people have died in fighting between the two religious groups. Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye were part of this conflict. They were violent religious leaders. They each fought with religious militia. These armed groups fought each other in the name of their religion.

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In 1992, Muslim and Christian militias began fighting in Kaduna. For two days, Muslims and Christians killed each other. Both Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa fought in this battle. Many of Wuye’s friends died. And a Muslim fighter cut off Wuye's hand. Ashafa lost two of his family members in the battle. And Christian fighters killed Ashafa's close friend and religious leader.

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After this battle, both men were full of hate for each other. Ashafa wanted revenge. He wanted to punish the Christians who killed his friends and family. So, Ashafa formed a group to kill Wuye and other Christian leaders. But then, something changed. One day, Ashafa was at a local mosque. At this Muslim place of worship, he listened to the imam speak. This religious leader talked about the power of forgiveness. He said that if a Muslim wanted to follow the example of Muhammad, he must forgive the people who hurt him. Ashafa told film makers,

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"I was crying, tears were flowing down my face. I was in a conflict between my conscience and my desire for revenge. The imam said, 'Let's pray.' We prayed, and after that, I truly forgave James Wuye."

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That was the day Ashafa stopped killing in the name of his religion.

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Later, Ashafa met Wuye in person. A news worker, who was friends with both Ashafa and Wuye, brought them together. Ashafa told the peace group Tanenbaum about this meeting. He said,

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"He took both of us by the hand and said: 'The two of you can pull this nation together, or you can destroy it. Do something."

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After this, the two men agreed to begin meeting together. But Wuye still did not trust Ashafa. He was still very angry. For three years, Wuye was tempted to kill Ashafa. But like Ashafa, Wuye’s heart finally changed. And like Ashafa, this change came from the words of a religious leader. Another Christian pastor spoke to Wuye at a meeting. Wuye told filmmakers about it.

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"He said to me, ‘I know you. I know what you are doing. But you cannot speak about Jesus Christ with hate. Christ is love. And the message we are carrying is love... If you will truly do this work, you must learn to forgive.’... That broke me finally. That was my turning point."

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After this, Ashafa and Wuye began truly working together for peace. Together, they started the Interfaith Mediation Center. For 20 years, they have worked through this organization to stop violence in their country and around the world. Ashafa and Wuye travel to conflict areas and hold meetings between fighting groups. They encourage people to read Christian and Muslim Holy Books in a peaceful way. Together, they work to rebuild churches and mosques that have been destroyed by fighting. The Center also has a television program that more than 2 million people watch. They write programs for schools and communities. Today, the Center has more than 10,000 members in Nigeria. But the work does not stop with Nigeria. Ashafa and Wuye even travel to other countries to share these programs.

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Ashafa and Wuye’s work is not easy. Some Christians and Muslims believe that the two men are betraying their faiths. Ashafa spoke about this issue with Georgetown University. He said,

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“It is not about debates between the two, or winning and losing. It is about talking together and looking at issues that affect both of us and how we can move our country forward."

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Pastor James Wuye also believes he remains true to his Christian religion. And he believes peace between the two religions is possible. Wuye told filmmakers,

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"I live my faith very strongly. And Ashafa does too... Yes Christianity and Islam can live side by side... I love Ashafa because Jesus has taught me to love others as I would love myself. And I live by that teaching."

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The writer of this program was Jen Hawkins. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, “From Enemies to Peace Workers.”

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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!