RELIGION Religious Tolerance in Turmoil in Sierra Leone? Government Must Act Firmly Posted by on Aug 3, 2009, 11:35

Over centuries ago religious practice has been the rights and privileges of many citizens in Sierra Leone.  The choice of a person’s kind and pattern of worship has never been questioned either directly or impliedly.The two main accepted and popular religions are Christianity and Mohammedanism (Islam) have never been in conflict with each other in this country even with the evolution of Catholicism, Protestantism, wide spread in the world and in this small political outpost, Sierra Leone, perched on the western seaboard of the coast of Africa.

However, the advent of what is loosely being described as Born-Again Christians with new interpretations of the word of God, accompanied by musical hilarity, to the acceptance and pleasure of many Sierra Leoneans who are attracted to it would not have raised eye brows, but for the fact that the proximity of such places of worships close to established Mosques (Muslim place of prayer) and functioning at times almost simultaneously is now a cause for concern.  The deafening sounds of drums and clapping on the one hand and the humming’s of Islamic verses on the other due to proximity is clearly creating discomfiture that may make unacceptable inroads into what has always been taken for granted as the right and privilege of individuals to worship in congregations of their choice unhindered.

Up to recently, religious tolerance has been one of the hallmarks of Sierra Leone as standard bearer, with Christians and Muslims co-existing without rancour.Observers and senior clerics of both main line Christian and Muslim faith seem bewildered at a new ugly beginning as if Christians and Muslims are competing for the one and only entrance to God, the creator of all manner of things with life, be they animals, plants or other living matter. It would appear that enthusiasm to be in direct contact with the creator of all things and the desire of persons of this class of enthusiasts is over playing itself and may at some point in time create conflict of unimaginable nature.  Off-shoots of the two main stream faiths if not kept at reasonable distance may create provocative issues in the land in due course.

For very many years now, the Ahmadiyya Muslim group has operated in Sierra Leone and the world over without hindrance to any other faith.  There locations have been on sites singularly removed from all other religious worship ‘parlours’.  Recently the Ahmadist Muslims had a successful international conference of Ahmadys in the Southern Central Town of Bo in Sierra Leone, the second largest place of human habitations next to Freetown; the Capital city of the country.  This was a fine example of religious co-existence that must be emulated.

Whether by accident or design, there seems to be developing a kind of chemistry between the new emerging Born-Again churches in Sierra Leone and their old established mainstream Muslim counterparts. Like the principle of ‘Osmosis’ whereby a stronger solution (attracts) and absorbs the weaker solution through a porous membrane, a fashion is developing by which new emerging churches are attracted to locate themselves in the vicinity or on property adjacent to old established Mosques, like the Bethel Cathedral of Praise only separated by a fence from the ground of the Mende Mosque off Circular Road in Freetown. A similar attraction resulted not too long ago, into an ugly confrontation some where in Calaba Town, what used to be an outskirt of Freetown.  Anxious to establish itself in a place of worship for its new growing number of membership, a  church located itself by building a little hurt on a plot of land for worship – “Pan body”, on a site next to an existing Mosque. 

The chemistry worked fine for sometime until the Muslim Ramadan month of fasting started.  It is said that before fasting actually began, a meeting was held between the two denominations and agreement was reached for the church to delay its evening service to allow the Muslims to perform prayers for fasting the next day.  For some inexplicable reason however, church members lost their patience in spite of the earlier agreement and simultaneously conducted service, with drumming and clapping while the Muslim Ramadan prayers were also in progress.  It is reported that the Muslims lost concentration and devout Islamic fanatics, broke ranks and attacked the small “pan body” Christian post and razed it to the ground resulting in some injuries being inflected on both sides. 

As law abiding citizens, the police should have been informed and not act destructively as it all happened and hell let loose. The Mambolo Chiefdom, Rokbop village episode coming in the wake of these events, begin to highlight a new phenomenon, if not handled carefully and with a very firm hand by Government could exacerbate into an uncontrollable conflagration of unimaginable proportion.  Religion and religious issues have historically been proven to be a highly sensitive and volatile matter that must never be allowed to get out of hand.  Sierra Leone’s history of religious tolerance is on trial and must never be allowed to be defeated. Suddenly, as if the world is coming to an end tomorrow, there has been an upsurge and proliferation of churches and Mosques every where around the country. 

Like the proliferation of Banks in this small economy in Sierra Leone, whether the new religious fervor everywhere is a good sign for development and progress has yet to be seen. Evangelism is a new growing industry which has spilt over from America to Africa, a Continent stricken by poverty and diseases and in recent times HIV/AIDs.  The evangelist believes that poverty really opens one up to spirituality and a host of other needs like clinics and hospitals, schools and orphanages.  When a person is in that kind of need – it makes him/her much more open to external relief and belief than if you have comfort.  Poverty, it is said, opens one up to spirituality and like Sierra Leone which is at the bottom of the Human Development Index; the way could be clear with the dollar flowing for a new kind of colonizing, not of land but of mind.  It is a mental attack.  The irony in Sierra Leone however, is that instead of the dollar and other currencies flowing into the country, collections are enriching the few as opposed to the majority who form the congregations. It is fast becoming clear that both Christian and Muslim evangelicals are trying to increase their influence in African countries. 

Just as American Pentecostals and Baptists have sunk millions of dollars into building churches and clinics in Africa- Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria in particular, so, too, have Saudi Muslims pumped Millions of Dollars into building of Mosques and religious schools, and this continues. 

The New York Times columnist Nicholas Krist once wrote “The wave of activity abroad by US Evangelicals is one of the most important and welcome trends in our (US) foreign relations.  I’m convinced that we should all celebrate the big evangelical push into Africa because the bottom line is that it will mean more orphanages, more schools and above all more clinics and hospitals, particularly, when AIDS is ravaging Africa, where hospitals are life savers”.  But, Sierra Leone has yet to benefit from US Evangelicals invading the country through Nigeria, in any meaningful way.  The time is yet to come.Okonor says that while the US is spreading its influence in Africa through religion, he is confident that Africans will not be duped by the Christian Right or by the Muslim right if any.  “Africans know to do both things: how to retain their beliefs in their traditional faith and culture and how to accept Christianity and Islam and the material things America and Saudi are bringing with them.  We make the best use of it, one believes, without losing ourselves”.

Sierra Leonean born Sidique Wai, Head of the New York Advocacy Group, United African Congress, is concerned about the expansion of Evangelical Christianity and are demonizing other religions in their effort to promote their values.  It is another form of Jihad” (Holy War).  Jihad (holy war) should be avoided always and it is in this particular respect that this media house has expressed concern over recent developments already referred to, in this country called Sierra Leone. This press takes a strong view on the issue of proximity of churches to mosques and mosques to churches.  Central Government, after the Mambolo (Rokbop village) incident in the Kambia District of Sierra Leone, should consider taking active and robust steps to stamp out the course of such lawless and irresponsible way of responding to religious provocations however acute. In this respect, the land Ministry must not grant licence for churches and mosques to be constructed close to each other however pressing the demand may be. 

The Minister of Lands must send out inspectors to find out where mosques and churches are in close proximity and if a church or mosque had first established in a plot of land in an area, the last of the two religious bodies to occupy an adjacent plot of land must be requested to re-locate to avoid any future friction.  Friction is unpredictable, however; because both religions, Christianity and Islam have different patterns of worships as stated earlier should be avoided.  In future before a building permit is issued to construct any mosque or church, the site must be visited by a land ministry official. Now that it is clear that there is religious Evangelism thrust into Africa and Sierra Leone not exempted, the public must be allow to make a value judgment as to which sect one would like to associate and belong to.

Religious freedom is enshrined in the National Constitution of Sierra Leone (1991) and must not and should never be trampled upon for reason what so ever. The Mambolo, Kambia Town incidents now gone into history must never be allowed to rear its ugly head on the horizon of religious toleration for which Sierra Leone has been known for the world over for centuries.