Lukman Ayyubi.
Following the recent peace meeting between Muslim representatives and Oloye Sunday Igboho, there has been some silence among sections of the Muslim community. While some are waiting to hear further responses and clarifications, others are asking an important question: What exactly does the peace meeting mean for the future?
A peace meeting should not be interpreted as erasing the differences that exist in creed, religion, ideology, or organisational identity. These differences remain, and each group has the right to maintain its identity and pursue its lawful interests.
Iru Ekun can continue to exist as a private security initiative, just as Muslims can maintain their own organisations and security structures. The existence of one does not necessarily prevent the other from operating. More importantly, these differences should not make cooperation impossible when it comes to the broader issue of protecting lives, communities and the security of Yorubaland.
However, it is equally important to make one point clear: participating in a peace meeting does not mean that Yoruba Muslims have come under Iru Ekun or accepted its authority over them. A dialogue for peace and security should not automatically be interpreted as submission or alignment.
The peace meeting should therefore be viewed as an opportunity for dialogue, not as the disappearance of existing differences or the surrender of one group’s identity to another.I can also turn this into a stronger newspaper.