Persecution in Sudan: Save Meriam

Written by Super User on 23 May 2014.

Background

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim is a Sudanese mother and doctor, who has been sentenced to death because of her choice of religion. She is a Christian and is married to a Christian man from South Sudan who is also an American citizen by naturalization. The government of Sudan considers her to have committed apostasy since her father was Muslim, which naturally (according to them) would mean that she is also Muslim and is therefore not expected to convert to any other religion.
She was given three days to recant her faith or face death; but she refused, stating clearly that she has never been Muslim. Meriam is now in prison, eight months pregnant and with her twenty-month old son. A Court in Khartoum has ruled that she will receive one hundred lashes after giving birth and nursing her baby, for committing adultery with her Christian husband, and then she will later be hanged to death. Her children will be the property of the government after her death.
Sudan is a predominantly Muslim country and according to research, Sudan's Foreign Missionary Society Act of 1962 put a limit on the number of churches constructed. It is considered one of the most dangerous countries for Christians to live in, as they are exposed to threats and torture like what Meriam is going through right now.
According to The Sudanese Organization for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms; the verdict by the Sudan government contradicts the Sudanese Constitution, as well as violates International treaties ratified by Sudan. The organization has condemned the death sentence against Meriam Yahya by a court in Khartoum.

Action

We are calling on the world (and especially the East Africa Community-EAC and all members of the African Union-AU) to petition President Bashir to ensure that all charges against Meriam are dropped and that she be allowed to go free with her son to join her husband.
Meriam is entitled to choose her own religion and should therefore be allowed to practice her Christianity.
The government of Sudan should be compelled to adhere to the international laws on Human Rights by respecting the right and freedom of religion.

Insecurity in Nigeria

Written by Super User on 13 September 2013.

Nigeria has had its share of insecurities which have raised concern not only in the country but in the African continent and of course the world at large. There has been loss of lives in large numbers and it is quite unfortunate that most of these killings appear to be religious attacks. Churches have been burnt down, Mosques as well and destruction of other properties too.
Nigerians have been living in fear not knowing who the next victim of these heinous acts would be. Boko Haram; a militant terrorist organization based in the northeastern part of Nigeria, has been clashing with vigilante groups, causing havoc in the parts of the country.
The most recent shocking incident has been a kidnapping of the Dean of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, who was abducted on the 8th of September 2013 in River State which is one of the 36 States of Nigeria and whose Capital is Port Harcourt. His wife, Beatrice Kattey had also been kidnapped but was later abandoned in the Archbishop's vehicle after a police chase. However there is no terrorist or religious group that has come out claiming to be responsible for the said abduction or sought ransom from his family or members of the church; hence making it difficult to establish if it is indeed a religious attack.
The abduction has raised concerns not only among the members of the church but generally among most Nigerians living in the area as the number of abductions continues to rise in Nigeria. This has also raised a lot of concern around Africa and the World, as an abduction of the second most senior cleric in the Church of Nigeria is bound to send a huge message to the members of the church considering the several persecutions of Christians that have taken place in Nigeria from the Islamist group, Boko Haram.
The religious conflict that has been going on between the Muslims and Christians in Nigeria for decades cannot be ignored. Although top Police Officials are said to be working on the case to ensure that Archbishop will be secured soon, safe and unharmed, it is feared that there have been no deterrent methods so far established to deal with the rampant crimes within the country.
Church Leaders within Nigeria have called for round the clock prayer for Archbishop Ignatius Kattey's safe and unconditional release.
The East Africa Centre for Law and Justice [EACLJ] is also advocating for the release of Archbishop Kattey and appealing to the Christian community in Africa to support the people of Nigeria by engaging in prayer for the Archbishop who is still missing.
EACLJ would also like to draw the public's attention to the sense of insecurity for Christians, not only in Nigeria but also in Egypt. Reports show that nearly 15,000 Coptic Christians in Egypt are being forced to pay a tax known as 'Jizya' to the Muslim Brotherhood or risk being killed in case they do not convert. Christian families are reported to be fleeing in fear for their lives and those of their families.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 18, '...everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; which includes the freedom to change ones religion or belief, and freedom either alone or in community with other others and in private or public, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance..'
As EACLJ, we call upon the vigilance of National Governments and the International Community who are the guardians of freedom of worship. Overlooking such happenings will be a pave way to greater violations of the freedom of worship. Such acts should be castigated and various mechanisms should be put in place to ensure deterrence from the same. Voices of concern should be raised in the affected countries as well as the international community. There should be renewed effort to ensure that religious freedom, as envisaged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is protected.

Religious Extremism a Threat to Kenya's Security

Written by Super User on 17 February 2014.

The world today is faced by many issues, from natural calamities to financial struggles and even insecurity. It may not be felt in all parts of the world, but religious extremism is one such issue that the world is grappling with right now.
Religious extremism is considered as when a group or person considers their religion to be superior and that those who do not subscribe to it deserve to face some penalty of sorts.
The world has universal laws which set the standards for the freedom of religion and belief, especially, for the protection and promotion of the identity of religious minorities.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that 'Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes the freedom to change their religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.'
In Kenya, Christianity has been the predominant religion for many years; however that does not mean that the other minority religions have been discriminated upon. In fact, the Constitution of Kenya in Article 32(1) states that 'Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion.' The same Article in sub-article (4) emphasizes that 'A person shall not be compelled to act, or engage in any act, that is contrary to the person's belief or religion.' The Constitution also in Article 27(4) states that 'The State shall not discriminate directly or indirectly against any person on any ground, including religion...' These have been seen peaceful co-existence of members of all religions represented in the country over the years.
However the situation has not been as calm as it was in the past; especially in the coastal town of Mombasa. This is a town that has a large population of Muslim believers and there have been reports of rowdy Muslim youth attacking people and causing chaos in the city. There have been reports of churches torched and even some religious leaders killed as well. Most of these attacks are viewed as revenge attacks by Muslim youth following killings of some of their religious leaders.
The state of insecurity has raised concern especially since most of the perpetrators are suspected members of terrorist groups.
The government has in turn warned of escalating extremism among Kenyan youths who are keen to join terrorist groups like al-Shabaab and hide behind religion. Reports indicate that some of these extremists are recruiting and indoctrinating naive youth to accept terrorism as a calling and a career.
A mosque in Mombasa was raided by police and reports state that a group of radical youth were arrested for questioning after the police found and confiscated documents and items which included rifles, machetes and other iron implements, jihadist flags, stun guns, maps, information on alleged spies and terrorist training manuals among others. The attack was reportedly due to a planned jihad meeting which was meant to propagate jihadist ideologies from radicalized Muslim leaders.
This radicalism has resulted to heightened tensions in the city, causing fear among the residents. The Christians in the town are also on high alert following the protests that have in the past spilt to their places of worship.
It is however important for the root causes to be addressed to avoid an even worse scenario which could have innocent civilians suffering in the hands of rowdy, outlawed groups. These do not just affect the genuine Muslim worshippers but also affect businesses and schools.
Unemployment and lack of education are among the reasons listed to justify why most young people at the coast region are easy target for the extremists. Survey by IPSOS research firm reveals that the educated group is very small considering only 41 percent have completed primary school and even fewer have gone beyond secondary school. This means that even when there are job opportunities in the County, the beneficiaries are qualified people from other counties, hence the large numbers of unemployed and hence idle people. This has also resulted in increased abuse of drugs and other substances especially among the youth.
Sensitize through civic education is needed to explain the need for education and especially now that the government has made it achievable for everyone. The information being disseminated in places of worship should also be checked to avoid such instances of religious extremism in the County and country at large.

Religious Persecution in Nigeria

Written by Super User on 18 October 2012.

The constitution of Nigeria stipulates that Nigeria is a secular state, it further guarantees religious freedom. However, this freedom has been abused severally in the country which has an estimated population of about 155-160 million. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of Christian (51.26%), Muslim (45.12%), Ethno religionist (3.31%), Non-religious (0.30%), and other (0.01%) religious groups. The Northern divide largely hosts the Muslim population while the southern divide mainly comprises of Christian populations. The northern parts have witnessed a series of spontaneous sectarian attacks orchestrated by the Islamic and Christian groups. The repeated religious attacks in Nigeria are devastating and have had heart wrenching consequences including the brutal deaths, injuries, destruction of churches and the displacement of many.

Reports of prejudiced treatment towards Christians by the Northern ruling elite have been testified. The spasm of violence and bloodshed in the northern parts of Nigeria has reached alarming levels. Instances of violence begetting violence where Christians have killed Muslims and vice versa have escalated.

The presidency and the governance structure have also not been spared of the profound tension that exists between the Christian and the Muslim groups. After the April 2011 presidential election, protests over Christian Goodluck Jonathan winning quickly turned into ethnic and religious violence that saw hundreds killed. The Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group, which translates as "Western education is sin," called for the conversion of President Goodluck Jonathan or his resignation. Although Jonathan won the last election by a landslide, more than 800 people were killed and dozens of churches torched during three days of rioting after the election result was announced. Boko Haram has since threatened to cleanse northern Nigeria of its Christians by bombing their churches and attacking their congregations.

It is believed that Boko Haram has been attacking Christians in the north to incite sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians in order to press for the separation of the Muslim-majority north from the Christian-majority south.

The Boko Haram, are believed to have killed more than 690 people across the country this year alone.

Some of the recently reported cases are as follows:

• 27th September 2012: Three people were killed while 48 others were injured in a suicide bombing at a church in Bauchi Town, Nigeria.
• 1st October 2012- Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group, invaded the off-campus hostel of Federal Polytechnic College on October 1 and murdered up to 30 students. Gunmen reportedly rounded up the students and demanded to know their names. If they gave a Christian name, they were given a chance to deny their Christian faith and convert to Islam by reciting the shahada (Muslim prayer of faith). If they refused and stood firm in their Christian faith, they were either shot or stabbed to death on the spot.
• 14th October 2012 witnessed another deadly attack in northern Nigeria, this time more than fifty armed gunmen opened fire on Muslim worshipers as they were leaving a mosque in northern Nigeria, killing at least 20 people. The attack happened in a remote village called Dogo Dawa, in Kaduna state. However, this attack has been attributed to a feud between a group of "bandits" and a vigilante group in Dogon Dawa. The group had been robbing the residents. Any allegation that the attack had been sectarian was dismissed.

The government of Nigeria has been on the receiving end in the midst of all these attacks as it has been accused for failure/inability to combat the attacks taking place.

Religious Attacks in Kenya

Written by Super User on 11 November 2013.

Insecurity is not a new phenomenon in Kenya and the world as a whole. Kenya has so far had its share of insecurities, both from internal and external forces. Events of the year 2013 already raise alarm to the state of the rights to freedom of Security and freedom of Religion as Kenya has been witnessing terror attacks, several on churches and church leaders.
Reports show that there were grenade attacks against churches in Garissa town; two pastors were killed in Mombasa, churches were vandalized when a Muslim cleric was shot dead in Mombasa by unknown assailants, Sunday school children were attacked with grenades in Nairobi and most recently another church was burnt in Mombasa while another pastor was shot dead in his church. These events, among others have raised eyebrows since there are no reports of any arrests made so far. This has pushed citizens to ends where they would prefer taking matters into their own hands. Not too long ago, Church leaders were outraged after one of them was killed in cold blood. The leaders insisted that they be allowed to carry a gun for protection of the church clergy and church members. Obviously the reality of this request is a little on the unrealistic side. Needless to say, not just any or every individual can be allowed to carry a fire arm.
However, a rather alarming fact is that most of these crimes are being committed against the Church and by Non-Christians hence the issues of religious attacks and Freedom of Religion arise. For instance;
In 2010 bishop Segel a cleric at Ongata Rongai Redeemed Church, up until now, no arrests have been made and the perpetrators remain free as no justice has been brought o the deceased and his family. Similarly in 2010 the Uhuru Park blast which claimed six lives and left 100 injured is another incident which is a clear indication of how real the attack on Christianity is. Again just like the gruesome murder of Bishop Segel, the investigations of the police are yet to yield results 3 years later. The 5 people who were arrested over the said attacks were released as they were found to be innocent. In 2012 Pastor Benjamin Juma of Nyali Baptist Church and the assistant pastor of Melchizedek Church Mombasa Pastor Jackson Kioko were on a door to door evangelism mission when they were lynched in a case of mistaken identity. Interrogations were carried out and as expected no justice was received for the deceased as later no arrests were made.
In the Year 2012, An Attack on an A.I.C church in Garissa left 17 people dead and scores injured after gunmen shot at worshippers in Garissa. Similarly another attack took place at God's House of Miracles Church, at Ngara Estate in Nairobi. As reported by one of the dailies, an attacker, who goes by the name Amar, entered the church and left. He later came back and took a seat in the back, hurling the grenade at worshipers leaving one dead and 11 injured. On 30 September, at around 10:30am, a 9-year old boy was killed when a grenade was hurled towards Sunday school children at St Polycarp Anglican Church along Juja road in Nairobi. Recently in Mombasa the Salvation Army Church in Nairobi was torched leaving one dead. In the small town of Wajir a Catholic church was the subject of attack after attackers threw two grenades at the church and then shot at the police, before running away. Two Protestant Pastors were very recently killed in two different attacks in Mombasa and Kilifi. In June of this year, a church was bombed leaving 12 dead and 17 injured.
No arrests have been made and nobody has been charged even in regard to these events that took place from as early as 2010. This laxity of the police force has only enabled the perpetrators as nothing is done to stop these attacks on religion. It is sort of an attack of people vs. the people with the police standing back and doing nothing to bring order in society
In dealing with Religious freedom, we are placed with the task of examining and determining whether this is a deliberate attack on the church or whether it is a simple case of dealing with criminals who just happen to be Muslims. The issue is complex and can be viewed from several perspectives.
Religious attacks have raised a lot of concern not only in African States like Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria among others, but also in Countries like America, Iran ,Pakistan just to mention a few. The common factor in the state of all these countries is that what comes across is that the attacks are leveled against the Christian faith. Obviously the Church has to find ways of protecting itself within the limits set out in the right to Security while exercising their right to freedom of religion and to worship.
The Constitution of Kenya has laws in regards to Freedom of Religion and the Right to Security. Article 29 deals with the Freedom and Security of the Person. It highlights security in deprivation and unlawful arrests and issues such a corporal punishment. It however does not exclusively deal with issues such as the right to be afforded security or the right to possess arms for one's security and public security. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) is begged with this task, however this is a remedial function meaning it is not regressive.
The duty to ensure that the right to security of the person is placed on institutions in the police force as well as on every individual to avoid endangering another person's security and life. This is achieved through instruments of Law such as the Penal Code that provide for appropriate measures to be taken against individuals who are in breach of both public and private peace.
Some rights are better enforced by the state and the right to security and protection of the Kenyan people is one of those rights. Allowing everyone to have that right to carry a fire arm will only cause more problems. Institutions such as the judiciary are created to ensure and guarantee that basic human rights are enforced.
The Freedom of Conscience, religion, belief and opinion is governed by Article 32 of the Kenyan Constitution which exclusively states that;
"...Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion."

This statistics of event is neither pleasing nor exciting. There is clearly a problem; if solutions were easy to come by however we would not be calling it a problem in the first place. Attacks on religion are complex just like acts of terrorism. One cannot completely fathom the reasons why one would be motivated to commit such a crime and finding ways of curbing such acts are not easy.

As society develops, it is clear to see that society generally has not reached a point of acceptability of our differences. We have reached a point where our differences are causes of war and terror. However we have not reached an end on how to curb this problem.
So far parliament has enacted legislation to ensure that individuals have freedom of religion and conscience and the freedom of security of the person as per the requirements of the Constitution and regional and International. The Judiciary through Article 23 have upheld and enforced the bill of rights which includes freedom of security of the person and the freedom of conscience, religion belief and opinion. The Executive has enforced these laws as required. One needs to note that laws are the first step. Just because legislation exists does not mean that society will adhere to it. Presence of retributive measures or punishments for law breakers does also not curb attacks. For now however that's all we have. The Judiciary will have to be diligent in ensuring that perpetrators are seriously dealt with.
The Police force on the other hand who are the main participants in catching perpetrators and bringing them before a court of law must be diligent. This process of transformation and justice begins with them.
It is rather sad to observe that so far no action has been taken against perpetrators of evils against religious leaders in Kenya and also for destruction of some of their places of worship.
The series of laxity from the police and government need to end. It would be wise to educate the public on the importance of acceptability of our differences. Harsh punishments need to be advocated for in the penal code against the individuals who commit such offences. This is a complex social crime which might just need a social based approach in curbing it.

Religious Persecution In Kenya

Written by Super User on 23 September 2012.

Kenya has had its fair share of what can be deemed as religious persecution. On 27th August 2012, following the assassination of a terror suspect Sheikh Aboud Rogo in Mombasa town, various churches were on the receiving end of the retaliatory attacks that were carried out by his fervent supporters who had been angered by his death. Churches were torched, destroyed and vandalized. Christian leaders came out to strongly condemn these attacks, pointing out that this was a planned attack on churches in a town whose occupants were largely Muslims. It was alleged that Sheikh Aboud had taught and considered Christians as infidels.

9th May 2012, two Christian preachers are lynched and burnt to death in Mombasa by what was alleged to be a staged attack by Muslims against the preachers who were carrying out evangelical activities in Changamwe area. Evangelical churches reproached these activities. Elsewhere, Christian leaders have voiced that the local municipality in Mombasa had pushed them in a corner and denied them land to erect churches, while Islamic extremists mocked the Bible and preached against Christianity.

On Sunday, 1st of July, twin grenade attacks occurred simultaneously at the Garissa Catholic Church and AIC churches leaving sixteen dead, amongst them two police officers manning the church, and sixty six injured. The attackers also used two firearms to open fire at the congregation.

It seems as though the terror attacks have taken a different turn, targeting congregants gathered in churches. The police force has been deploying officers to man churches especially in North Eastern Province. In the month of May, a similar occurrence was witnessed after a grenade was hurled inside a church in Nairobi's Ngara area on Sunday morning, killing one person and wounding fifteen others. It is unfortunate that the latest Al-Shabaab's stance is to try and wage a religious war by rallying the people of Somali to battle against the Kenyan forces who they now accuse of spreading Christianity in a country which Islam is prevalent. The KDF deny this accusation.

The most recent report shows police have today, 14th September 2012, recovered a cache of arms in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate, that were allegedly meant to be used for terror attacks on Sunday in the city. The reports further state that the terror attacks were targeting innocent Kenyans during Sunday's Church services.

The controversy of religious intolerance emerges to a substantial extent and this should not be overlooked as it may be the small leak that might sink a great ship. The issue, as earlier stated is not in Africa only and there have been victories experienced in the war against persecution. The most recent victory was that of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who has been released from prison where he was held for over one thousand days! However this does not mean that it is the end of the struggle. There are many other people who are suffering in prisons and others in hiding because of their choice of religion. It is for this reason that an initiative dubbed 'The 48-Hours for Religious Freedom' has been organized to promote religious freedom and to raise awareness on the same.