The Freedom of Religion conference was designed by Taking All Men Brother (TAMEB) to address and proffer solutions to various forms of unfriendly relationships among religions in Nigeria. Although, Nigeria is a multi-religious country where freedom of religion is enshrined in the country’s constitution, it is hardly practiced by adherents of different religions, especially the triadic religions of Islam, Christianity and African traditional religions. Despite the right to choose and practice the religion of one’s choice, social hostility prevails among different religions in forms of perceptions, stigmatization, discrimination, and persecution.
Therefore, experts’ views on freedom of religion or belief from Islamic, Christian, traditional, youth, legal, economic and sociological perspectives are presented during the conference. Participants also engage in focus group discussions where the practicality and workability of religious freedom at the family and societal levels are looked into. The roles of religious and non-religious leaders, the media, as well as the private and public sector, in the promotion of religious tolerance and inclusion in Nigeria are identified during the focus group discussions. In the end, appropriate policy actions on inter-faith peace and harmony are recommended to the organization, which in turn prepares the report and share with the relevant stakeholders.
The first edition of the Freedom of Religion conferences themed Freedom of Religion: A Panacea for Peace and Harmony in Nigeria, took place on the 26th and 27th of June at the Institute for Church and Society, Samonda, Ibadan. Click on the link below for the comprehensive report.
The comprehensive report of Freedom of Religion 2019: A Panacea for Peace and Harmony in Nigeria