The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) in collaboration with the National Assembly of The Gambia organized a one-day seminar on the 16th June 2023 that brought together members of Freedom.of Religion or Belief ( FoRB) Caucus of the National Assembly of The Gambia, Faith Leaders from both the Muslim and Christian community as well representatives from Civil Society. The event took place at the Christian Council of The Gambia under the theme: FoRB, Religious Intolerance and the Rise of Hate Speech in The Gambia: What role for MPs and Other Stakeholders.

The seminar was facilitated by Mr. Edmund A. Foley of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). His presentation sought to explain Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and Human Rights in the context of The Gambia, taking account of the culture and religious practices that shape the lives of the people. Specifically, he indicated that specific articles in the Gambian National Constitution undergird freedom of speech, and other fundamental rights of the citizens. For instance, the Constitution protects freedom of religion – freedom to practice and freedom to manifest one’s religion. He went further to note these freedoms are subject to reasonable restrictions necessary for the functioning a of democratic state.

He emphasized the fact that religious tolerance and respect for one another is the bedrock of building a peaceful and cohesive society, and that The Gambia enjoys peaceful co-existence because there is a high degree of religious tolerance and understanding. He however noted that in recent times there are beginning to be cracks – religious intolerance and hate speech are beginning to take root in The Gambian society. He concluded by urging key stakeholders to sit up and address the creeping rise of religious intolerance and hate speech before it is too late.

A number of key issues came to the fore during plenary discussion. Notable among them are the following:

Members of Parliament should have a prominent role to play in shaping and protecting the rights of citizens using the tools of law making, oversight and budget scrutiny to advance and improve the wellbeing of citizens including enjoyment of their fundamental human rights.

Education, especially raising citizens’ awareness about their rights and also responsibilities is cardinal in nurturing active citizenship and MPs should play a leading role in this regard.
The issue of the Muslim female students wearing hijab in Christian schools is still contentious; participants are all agreed on the need to find an amicable resolution to the problem.
The need to teach the youth about peaceful coexistence and tolerance was stressed by many participants.
Efforts should be made to ensure that both Christians and Moslems are represented in the National Assembly. Currently, there are only Moslems in the National Assembly; Christians are not represented.
Given that the youth are exposed to social media, it is important that the National Assembly takes the lead in finding ways to use that platform to shape their thinking and nurture in them the spirit of tolerance at a young age. In this regard, the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs as well as other national institutions responsible for civic education could organize educational campaigns for the youth focusing on: respect for one another, religious tolerance, dignity of the human being, ethos of non-discrimination and inclusion with a view to counteract the negative effects of social media.

Source: Contributor

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