Imam Muhammad Ashafa & Pastor James Wuye, Nigeria 

Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye are religious leaders who live
in Kaduna, a city in northern Nigeria.  Today, they work together to teach warring religious youth militias to resolve their conflicts peacefully.  But they did not start
out as peacemakers.  Ten years ago, Imam Ashafa and Pastor James were mortal enemies, intent on killing one another in the name of religion. 

In 1992, violent interreligious conflict broke out in Kaduna State. Christians and Muslims fought each other in the marketplace, destroying each others' crops and attacking each others’ families.  Both the Imam and the Pastor were drawn into the fighting, and both paid a heavy price for their involvement — Imam Ashafa with the loss of two brothers and his teacher, Pastor James with the loss of his hand.

After this event, they each dreamed of revenge against the other.  Nonetheless, as leaders in their communities, the two men reluctantly agreed to meet.  Imam Ashafa recalls what happened:  “A mutual friend…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.’”  Over the next few years, through increasingly frequent meetings and separate religious epiphanies, the two men slowly built mutual respect, and decided to work together to bridge the divide between their communities.

Together, Imam Ashafa and Pastor James demonstrate extraordinary courage and dedication every day.  Through their commitment to dialogue with their adversaries, and using religion as a resource, they leave us with a compelling example of what it takes to achieve peace and coexistence

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