Why are several African countries attacking religious freedom?

The deaths of members of extreme fasting communities in Kenya are being used as a pretext to massively restrict religious freedom in various countries.

by Massimo Introvigne and Rosita Šorytė

In April 2023, media around the world reported that a religious movement in Kenya, which they described as a “cult,” led by local pastor Paul Mackenzie, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of followers who starved themselves and their children after following their leader's instructions to observe a radical form of fasting.

More than a year has passed and what exactly happened is still not entirely clear. Hundreds of bodies have been discovered and Mackenzie continues to plead not guilty. If Pastor Mackenzie persuaded his followers to commit what can only be described as suicide, coupled with murder, in the legal sense when they forced their children to join them in fasting, he should obviously be convicted, whatever his motives. Incitement to suicide and murder are not protected by freedom of religion or belief.

On the other hand, an ad hoc commission of the Kenyan Senate took advantage of the incident to produce a report on “cults” with some disturbing proposals, published on October 10, 2023. The report presented the anti-cult laws in France and the existence of a government mission there to combat “cult-like deviations” called MIVILUDES, as well as the anti-“cult” regulations introduced in Japan after the assassination of Shinzo Abe in 2022, as “best practices” to be emulated in Kenya and indeed throughout Africa. The report also proposed creating a crime of “psychological abuse” and investigating the finances of churches and religions operating in Kenya and their leaders in order to reduce the tax exemption for religious organizations. Following the tragedy in Kenya, similar proposals are now being heard in other African countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon and Gambia.

This is a blatant case of religious freedom being thrown out with the bathwater because it is being abused by people who may have misused their religion to commit ordinary crimes.

In Kenya, a special task force appointed by President William Ruto in May 2023 to assess the legal and regulatory framework for religious organizations in the country has submitted its final report. This document contains various recommendations to strictly monitor and regulate the activities of religious organizations and groups in the country. The task force, led by politician and Protestant preacher Mutava Musyimi, handed over its report to President Ruto on July 30.

The report proposes the establishment of a Commission on Religious Affairs to evaluate all religious groups and clergy in Kenya. Musyimi stressed that most Kenyans are vulnerable to religious abuse due to increasing poverty and a lack of knowledge on religious issues – factors that may have helped Mackenzie persuade his followers to starve.

“Poor people have no choice and religion becomes their only hope. Poverty makes it easy to fall prey to religious abuse,” Musyimi explained, noting that implementation of the report would make it possible to crack down on “deceitful” religious leaders. Musyimi appears to support the outdated deprivation theory put forward in the last century to explain the success of Pentecostalism and new religious movements, and also used language borrowed from the international anti-cult movement.

The task force proposes that religious organizations be subjected to a registration process. When applying for registration, they should submit their constitution with their beliefs, as well as clearance certificates from the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.Top of formBottom of form While the mainline Catholic and Protestant churches (with some exceptions) support the proposal, which they see as a possible way to limit competition from booming Pentecostal groups and new religious movements, other minorities are protesting against the report. A group of Pentecostal leaders from the Mount Kenya and Lower Eastern regions, known as the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba (GEMA) Unity Forum, opposes all proposals. Led by their national chairman James Munga, they argue that implementing the task force report would be harmful and violate freedom of religion and belief. They want it rejected.

“We as a church are being forbidden to speak. We do not want the church to be re-examined and registered,” Munga said, adding that any changes would have to be decided in a national referendum. Legal scholars also reject the proposals as they violate the Kenyan constitution.

In Rwanda, the theory has already become practice, as local media and Human Rights Without Fronters reported. The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), along with other government agencies, oversees inspections across the country to ensure that religious organizations (FBOs) comply with national laws and regulations. As of mid-August, more than 7,700 of 13,000 inspected churches had been closed.

Rwandan authorities claim that a church or religious place of worship can be closed if it fails one of four tests. One test concerns construction and safety principles and appears to be reasonable and in line with international standards. However, we at Bitter Winter frequently receive reports of unsubstantiated safety arguments being used as a pretext to harass unpopular minorities, even in countries generally considered religion-free, including Islamic centers in Italy.

The other three criteria are highly problematic. Government bureaucrats told the media that leaders of religious organizations must have academic degrees. These leaders need a degree in religious studies from an accredited institution of higher education or another degree accompanied by a valid certificate in religious studies or related subjects from an accredited institution. It was explained: “The rationale for academic degrees is to ensure that religious leaders are qualified and able to interpret and communicate faith messages to the congregations they lead.” If these criteria were applied in the United States or many other democratic countries, most religious minority houses of worship would be closed. The Catholic Church and some major Protestant churches require their parish priests or pastors to have academic degrees, but most other religious organizations do not.

The second criterion is that churches and other religious organizations must submit their charters to the government, obtain a “letter of cooperation” from the authorities of the respective district, and submit an “action plan.” The action plan must include not only missionary activities but also community initiatives. Of course, district authorities may refuse to sign “letters of cooperation” for any reason, which may lead to the closure of places of worship of organizations they do not like.

The third criterion states: “Every organization must submit a statement of faith detailing its teachings. This document is crucial to assess whether the teachings are consistent with national values ​​and laws.” Authorities explained that freedom of religion is guaranteed by Article 37 of Rwanda's constitution, but not for all, only for religions and movements that “do not contradict national values ​​and norms established by the government.” Obviously, this is a limited and false freedom of religion, similar to that guaranteed by the Chinese constitution only for “normal” religious activities, with the regime reserving the right to define “normal.”

In 2018, the Rwandan government had already carried out a similar campaign, closing around 9,000 places of worship. Cameroon recently announced that it was considering introducing a similar religious policy. Both Rwanda and Kenya have cited the repression of the Unification Church (now the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) and other minorities in Japan, as well as anti-cult legislation in France, as practices that have served as inspiration for them.

Africa is battling many viruses. It seems that the virus that threatens religious freedom is spreading faster than expected.