In Africa,
separating religion and state presents a
very difficult challenge. Secularism is
viewed with suspicion, and sometimes
with opposition. But our constitutional
principle has hardly translated into reality
because of enormous influence of
religious establishments on politics and
governance.
Secularism is a 'paper tiger' that has
little or no bearing on practical politics in
many parts of the region. Secular
government is seen as a ideal form of
government, a western contraption.
Separating Church(Mosque) and State is
perceived as a form of political utopia
that is alien to the African notion of
government. Religion and state mix in
real African politics. Church(Mosque) and
State merge in real governance. The
reality of mixing religion and state is not
the same in countries across the region.
The situation is worse in muslim majority
states because there is lack of
appreciation of separating mosque and
state. Countries are described as islamic
republics. States are not res publica-
public property but islamic public
property. There is no distinction between
the islamic space and public space.Islam
is the state religion and sharia is the de
facto state law or the basis of the state
law.
Separating church(mosque) and state
poses a serious challenge to politicians
because democracy is a game of
numbers and votes count. No politician
wants to be seen to be anti religion.
Democracy is characterized by the rule
of the majority. The will of the people is
often motivated or swayed by religion.
Religious interests determine the fate of
politicians. So state actors pander to
religious sentiments in order to
legitimize themselves- to win elections
or maintain their hold on power.
Politicians use religion to enhance their
political ambitions despite constitutional
provisions. Politicians do- and can do it
anything to win the majority of votes
even if it means replacing secular state
laws with religious laws or making
religious sins state crimes.
In consequence, this ambiguous
relationship between church/mosque
and state has not reflected positively
and progressively on democracy and
governance in the region. Mixing religion
and state has led to conflicts, division
brainwash and discrimination. It has resulted to a
politics of exclusion, a form of religious
divide and rule. Lack of separation of
church and state has hampered the
evolution of a modern democratic Africa
because politics is not shaped by the will
of the people but purportedly by the will
of god or allah, jesus, mumhamed or better by the will of
godmen and women. Unelected priests,
Ulema, Bishops and Imams,prophets, not the
elected representatives of the people
determine the laws and policies which
states adopt. Many democracies in Africa
are de facto theocracies because
religious Africans have translated their
articles of faith in god into political
norms. The politics of the states is
determined more by what goes on in
churches and mosques than what
transpires in the parliament or state
houses.
Lack of separation of church
(mosque) and state in practical
politics has undermined the
realization of a peaceful, tolerant
and progressive society because
state laws have become religious
dogmas writ large. Presidents,
governors and lawmakers are quasi
clerics- priests, sheikhs, bishops and
imams.
One aspect of African society where the
negative impact of mixing religion and
politics is so manifest in Africa is in
tackling religious extremism particularly
islamic militancy. Many muslim majority
countries in Africa are grappling with the
problem of islamic fundamentalism. They
have recorded with limited success in
this fight due to lack of separation of
mosque and state. For instance, in
Nigeria, an islamic militant group, Boko
Haram has been waging a violent
campaign to implement a stricter version
of sharia law and enthrone an islamic
state(1). Boko Haram leverages on the
prevalence of political islam in the region
including the ongoing state
implementation of sharia law.
Due to the merging of mosque and state
by the government in this region, states
are not neutrally positioned to tackle the
problem of islamism head on because
there is some commonality between the
agenda of the sharia implementing
states and that of Boko Haram.
Disentangling state law, justice system,
policy making from Islam will better
position the African governments defeat
Boko Haram and other militants groups
fighting in Nigeria, Mali, Somalia to
enthrone an islamic state.
Another area where the negative impact
of mixing religion and politics is very
manifest is in the area human rights
protection. This has clearly been
demonstrated in the case of Meriam
Ibrahim, a christian woman who was
sentenced to death in Sudan because
she refused to renounce her christian
faith. Ms Ibrahim has reportedly been
freed from jail but the circumstances
that led to her conviction and
imprisonment in the first place require
some reflection(2). Meriam was born to a
muslim father and a christian mother.
But she was raised a christian by her
mother. The islamic court in Sudan ruled
that Meriam's profession of christianity
was apostasy and that she be put to
death.
Ms Ibrahim was pregnant at the time of
her conviction and gave birth to her
baby while shackled in prison. The
judgement was possible because sharia
law is currently in force in Sudan. Since
1983 Sudan has enforced a translation of
the patriarchal misogynistic norms of
islam that are incompatible with
universal human rights. And I ask, Why
must the paternity not the maternity of
Meriam count in her profession of
religion? Why must paternity or
maternity count at all? Is religion
inherited? If someone's father or mother
is a muslim, must the person remain a
muslim? Why the compulsion to remain a
muslim? Religious profession is a right
which every individual exercises despite
the religion of the parents. Religious
confession is not inherited from one's
father or mother. Is it? Changing one's
religion or converting to another religion
is and should be free. It should not be on
the pain of death. But it is the case in
Sudan due to lack of separation of
mosque and state, even in other african countries people discriminate for switching religions.
The secularization of Sudan will
help the country end this legalized
discrimination that makes a
caricature of its claim to protecting
human rights, especially the
freedom of religion. Disentangling
the state of Sudan and its justice
system from islam will make the
government an impartial arbiter
and guarantor of the equal rights of
all individuals in the countries.
Islam and christianity are ancient
religions with norms that are
incompatible with those of a modern
democratic state.
Separating church(mosque) and state
will enable African governments tackle
poverty and improve their economy.
Mixing religion and politics is
impoverishing African countries and
undermining their efforts to conquer
poverty and underdevelopment. Due to
lack of separation or its violation by
politicians, many poor African states
spend billions of dollars every year
sponsoring pilgrimages to the holy lands
(3), building churches and mosques(4)
and paying clerics(5). These pilgrimages
contribute to the economies of host
nations like Israel or Saudi Arabia not
those of Africans. If African governments
separate church/mosque and state,
these funds will be saved and will be
better utilized in building schools,
improving the standard of education,
creating jobs and embarking on real
developmental projects that can yeild
tangible measurable returns that could
lift millions of Africans out of poverty.
Separating church(mosque) and state
has become a most urgent and
compelling project for African peoples
and their governments in this 21st
century. So let the secularization of
Africa begin.

What's your view on this?

this is the exact thing Nigeria needs

drfk001: this is the exact thing Nigeria needs

thank u! africa ! Not just nigeria .. The religious menace is getting out of hand.. The sons and daughters on nigeria are going astray

I agree, hopefully this will lead to more respect for peoples cultures and objective thinking.

once in a while, when been alone i reflect a lot and i have almost concluded that religion was/is a device to repress the negro from 'thinking'. lemme share a video by malcolm x on this thread

from '2.40 of this clip supports by view by malc X


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcXbzDeJpIc

uzoexcel: once in a while, when been alone i reflect a lot and i have almost concluded that religion was/is a device to repress the negro from 'thinking'. lemme share a video by malcolm x on this thread

from '2.40 of this clip supports by view by malc X


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcXbzDeJpIc

this is not an excuse for you to become an atheist....i'm warning you

Stop stalking me
Unfollow me sharp sharp

uzolexis:

this is not an excuse for you to become an atheist....i'm warning you

uzoexcel: Stop stalking me
Unfollow me sharp sharp

you are stuck with me,whether you like it or not.

The problem with Africans in religion apart from the fact that is based on blind faith and belief, (rather than fact) is that it is not African in origin. Why must we insist on worshipping other than our own? Why must we insist on worshipping alien religions?. Christianity and Islam were forced upon us after we were invaded and enslaved by other races. Northern Africa went through a period of Arabization which included the spread of Islam across the continent. Later during the European/American or Transatlantic slave trade and during the scramble for Africa Christianity and their foreign languages were forced upon us. Now you have black people living together who worship different Gods, and speak different languages, when on top of that we are already diverse enough as it is. What other races worship other than self and kind in as much as blacks. None! Its simple. Christianity is meant for white Europeans, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Genesis 15:34). Are you an Israelite? No! So he doesn’t care about you leave it alone. Muhammad was sent to his own, Middle Eastern people. Indians have Hinduism, the Chinese have Buddhism etc. We blacks seem to worship everything other than our own.

uzolexis:

this is not an excuse for you to become an atheist....i'm warning you

the seperation doesn not mean you will become an atheist however I respect all religions but there has to be a degree of influence they can have on the society. So far the missionary is taking over the educational system. I don't know if u see a problem in that..Nigeria. Sons and daughters are been wisked away by a lot of infulence.. U don't need a nuclear bomb to destory them. You their thinking has been designed to fail already. If we don't stop this I tell u there will be no movig forward

I believe firmly that there should be a clear delineation between Religion and State but despite this belief I don't subscribe to a situation where the West dictates this for everyone because that in itself is the very antithesis of democracy.

The majority of people in a Country should determine for themselves whether they want this separation between Religion and State such that, irrespective of the decision they make, the inalienable rights of the minority are protected.

striktlymi: I believe firmly that there should be a clear delineation between Religion and State but despite this belief I don't subscribe to a situation where the West dictates this for everyone because that in itself is the very antithesis of democracy.

The majority of people in a Country should determine for themselves whether they want this separation between Religion and State such that, irrespective of the decision they make, the inalienable rights of the minority are protected.

The choice of allowing the majority of people in a country to determine for themselves whether or not they want a separation between Religion and State such that that can offer a measure of protections to the rights of the minority is a false choice because, a democracy that is subject to religious laws like the Sharia can never be able to protect the rights of the minority, so unless the people chose to separate religion from state, you will be restricted from practicing your religion openly should you be in the minority.

dorox:
The choice of allowing the majority of people in a country to determine for themselves whether or not they want a separation between Religion and State such that that can offer a measure of protections to the rights of the minority is a false choice because, a democracy that is subject to religious laws like the Sharia can never be able to protect the rights of the minority, so unless the people chose to separate religion from state, you will be restricted from practicing your religion openly should you be in the minority.

The choice may be wrong but that's is the beauty of democracy. Allowing the people air their opinion, such that the choice of the majority prevails at the end of the day. It would be nothing short of dictatorship if a people are forced to make a choice they don't want.

You or I may not like it but that really is immaterial because it is about the majority with very reasonable respect for the freedom of the minority. Democracy is democracy irrespective of whether Religion and State are separated or not.

A true democracy does not give room for the strong to prey upon the weak, unreasonably. The right to life, right to reasonable association and the many other rights that are not subject to any constitution or system of Government must be upheld in a democracy.

striktlymi:

The choice may be wrong but that's is the beauty of democracy. Allowing the people air their opinion, such that the choice of the majority prevails at the end of the day. It would be nothing short of dictatorship if a people are forced to make a choice they don't want.

You or I may not like it but that really is immaterial because it is about the majority with very reasonable respect for the freedom of the minority. Democracy is democracy irrespective of whether Religion and State are separated or not.

A true democracy does not give room for the strong to prey upon the weak, unreasonably. The right to life, right to reasonable association and the many other rights that are not subject to any constitution or system of Government must be upheld in a democracy.

My point is that a democracy that is subject the the religious laws of the majority cannot protect the rights of the minority. To be able to protect the rights of minorities, religion and State has to be two separate entities.

dorox:
My point is that a democracy that is subject the the religious laws of the majority cannot protect the rights of the minority. To be able to protect the rights of minorities, religion and State has to be two separate entities.

Why can't it protect their rights? A country like Turkey should be an example of a country that is trying to harmonize democracy and Religion without hindering the inalienable rights of the minority.

striktlymi:

Why can't it protect their rights? A country like Turkey should be an example of a country that is trying to harmonize democracy and Religion without hindering the inalienable rights of the minority.

Turkey has been a secularized country since 1924 guaranteeing freedom of religion to all within its border. Though of recent many muslims have been calling for the reintroduction of sharia law which minorities claim will restrict their rights.

dorox:
Turkey has been a secularized country since 1924 guaranteeing freedom of religion to all within its border. Though of recent many muslims have been calling for the reintroduction of sharia law which minorities claim will restrict their rights.

Secular countries do not make Religion a must in public schools. Turkey does this. Though they may say they are secular state but the truth is that Turkey is an Islamic state. One of the reasons they were having a had time joining the EU.

So@striktimi what is ur point,so if d majority in nigeria are muslim sharia should be forced down my throat?,

mkpakanaodogwu: So@striktimi what is ur point,so if d majority in nigeria are muslim sharia should be forced down my throat?,

Yes! That is democracy! Though the rights of the minority must not be sacrificed.

striktlymi:

Secular countries do not make Religion a must in public schools. Turkey does this. Though they may say they are secular state but the truth is that Turkey is an Islamic state. One of the reasons they were having a had time joining the EU.

But Turkey is officially a secular State, however if your argument is that they are not one hundred percent compliant with your ideal definition of a secular state, I would grant you that. Name any State that is governed by sharia, and I will also name that State as an example of a State without the basic protection for human rights and rights of minorities.

This is suppose to be on front page

striktlymi:

Yes! That is democracy! Though the rights of the minority must not be sacrificed.

what happend to freedom of worship?

mkpakanaodogwu: what happend to freedom of worship?

That's part of the fundamental rights I mentioned.