NCCK General Secretary Rev Canon Peter Karanja
Message of Hope from Religious Leaders
On this day we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord and in solidarity to join hands and mourn the loss of those departed during the mass shooting at the Westgate Mall and empathize with those who are suffering.
We want to extend our deep compassion and send thoughts of calm, hope and healing to all those affected by the horrific terror attack. We are reminded of the words of the scriptures as recoded in the gospel of Luke 12:4-5 which says, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterwards do anything worse. I will show you whom to fear: fear God, who after killing, has authority to throw into hell. Believe me, He is the one you must fear”.
We wish to say to all those who lost their loved ones and those who suffered physical, emotional and spiritual harm, Poleni Sana. We together with all Kenyans share your grief and suffering and will continue supporting you during this time of difficulty. May the Almighty God Comfort you, watch over you and grant you grace to rebuild your lives and move on. We realize it is extremely painful but the God we serve is a God of comfort.
As religious leaders we commend the President, Officers of government and security forces and responsive Kenyans for the best efforts they made to contain the situation.
According to the Quran Surah Yussuf 12:87 Prophet Jacob (Yaqub) even after the loss of his two sons Joseph and Benjamin did not lose hope nor despair of God’s mercy. “And despair not of God’s mercy, surely none despairs of God’s mercy except those who reject God’s commandments”.
Religion and religious people aspire for good and what is heavenly and just. Let those who perpetrate these acts know that we Kenyans and the religious fraternity are neither cowed nor deterred in our path in the pursuit of what is good and just for this country. We shall continue to pursue our activities and their evil activities shall not dim our spirits. We are hopeful that as we celebrate the recent discoveries of natural resources, we shall put them to maximum benefits for all Kenyans. Surely, Kenya shall rise and like an eagle will soar to great heights in the region and the world.
We commend all Kenyans and our leaders for firmness in dealing with this tragedy. We believe we will continue to worship, work and go for recreation as we have always done and that we will continue to live freely and in brotherhood with our neighbors and friendly states. The Westgate tragedy proved that even in times of adversity and calamity, the Kenyan spirit remained alive and this spirit of togetherness is needed from all of us as we forge our path to a better tomorrow.
We call on all Kenyans and our friends and visitors neither to be afraid nor lose hope. We have God on our side and we shall triumph over the forces of evil and darkness. We also beseech our brothers and sisters not to be blinded by the same hate that the evil doers are consumed in and seek revenge. In view of the fact that in this and other issues, religion has been misused, we the leaders are seeking opportunities in the near future to come together with our scholars to look at all dimensions of these realities with the aim of eliminating misconceptions and misuse of religion in the future.
Lastly, we wish to continue urging all Kenyans to continue to live as brothers and sisters, no matter their faith, color, race or ethnic community. We are all One People, under God.
God Bless Kenya.
Signed on 1st October, 2013
For Inter-Religious Councilof Kenya
