Freedom of the press versus blasphemy in Nigeria

The geographical area known as Nigeria was created in 1914 following the merger of the Northern and Southern Protectorates by the British Colonial Masters. Available statistics show that Nigeria’s population exceeds 140 million, with an estimated growth rate of two percent per year. The country has a vibrant press that ranks fourth in the kingdom. The press is relatively free at the time, consisting of government-owned television and radio, as well as private media and print media.

Nigeria is a multi-religious country, although it recognizes two main religions, Christianity and Islam. Blasphemy and death is the point of view of the world’s two major religions on the subject of blasphemy. There is no option for punishment for blasphemy offenses in places where laws exist and no one is above punishment once proven guilty. In Christianity, blasphemy is against the trinity or against the doctrines themselves).

Blasphemy in Islam is speaking against the Prophet Muhammad and any other prophets mentioned in the Qur’an or Biblical prophets. Similarly, speaking against Allah constitutes blasphemy. In Nigeria, the followers of the two religions tenaciously cling to their beliefs and would not hesitate to deal with anyone who undermines their position. There are no blasphemy laws in Nigeria, but in the northern part of the country, Shariah law serves as a check and balance to deal with offenses against Islam, which are said to affect only Muslims.

Since Islamic law was formally introduced in 2001, no one has been punished for Muslim blasphemy to kill. Isioma Daniel wrote in an article that the prophet Mohammed would have approved the Miss World contest and could have married a beauty queen. Such a statement in a religiously volatile place like Nigeria is expensive. So, as expected, Isioma’s article sparked riots between Muslims and Christians in northern cities, particularly in Kaduna, with thousands of people killed and property destroyed as a result. Later, Isioma fled the country in an attempt to save her life from Muslim fundamentalists.

The Shariah practiced in the North is considered superior to the nation’s constitution, as the central government has not challenged it, but dismissed it as a political gimmick that would soon fizzle out. Some of the northern states have what is known as a “hisbah”, an apparatus set up to uphold the cause of Islam and perform similar functions with the Nigerian Police. The 19 governors of the northern states have a forum where they meet from time to time to make far-reaching decisions that would be used to govern the member states and improve their economies. It was in 1987 that a Muslim apostate, a certain Reverend Bako, ignited the embers of religious unrest when he allegedly made blasphemous references to the Koran while preaching to fellow Christians at the College of Education in the northern city of Kafanchan, Kaduna state.

The ensuing chaos resulted in multiple deaths and destruction of property worth millions of Nigerian money. Nearly a decade later, Monday Yakunat, a Christian preacher, re-enacted the gruesome scenario in Kafanchan in 1996 while holding an open-air service next to the city’s car park. Angered by his sermon, some 50 Shiite fundamentalists kidnapped Yakunat and detained him in a house. The stage was set for a confrontation when the Christians broke into the house and forcibly released Yakunat. In the Muslim-Christian riot that immediately followed, at least three people were killed and property was destroyed.

This is the kind of jungle justice meted out to people perceived to be a threat to Islam even before the adoption of Shariah in northern Nigeria. Even the leader of Nigeria’s largest fundamentalist groups, known as the Islamic Brotherhood Movement, Ibrahim El-zat-zaky, criticized the introduction of Sharia law in a country ruled by a Christian president. In 1991, the Shia sect in Nigeria led by El-Zat-Zaky violently protested a “Daily Times” publication which they called blasphemous. Both Islam and Christianity are blasphemed and their followers are criticized for blasphemy issues in the same way.

However, Christians react differently to insults to their religion than Muslims. It is very common for Islamic preachers to openly insult Christianity and Jesus in street preaching or even in the media without all hell breaking loose. Muslims contradict the belief that Jesus is the son of God and that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. They say that if that is so, then it means that the Holy Spirit slept with Mary and the result is Jesus.

In his article, “The Canon That Didn’t Get Fired,” Journalist, Professor, and Columnist Terry Mattingly asked the million-dollar question, “Who will arrest the mob,” and concluded that there is no absolute truth. . Islamic reactionaries have declared jihad against the West and its allies, that is, against Christians living anywhere on the globe. In northern Nigeria, where the demonstration was fierce, the demonstration took to the streets with banners bearing inscriptions such as “Damn the Westerners, kill the infidels or the Muslims will be eliminated, the enemies of Islam must pay with their blood.” The Jyllands-Posten Mohamed cartoons provoked a retaliatory reaction in several cities in the north of the country, resulting in the deaths of dozens of innocent people and the burning of 60 churches.

In Kontagora, a city in Niger state, Nigeria, three Christian worshipers were killed and 13 churches burned in reaction to the publication of the cartoon about the Islamic prophet. Consequently, in the face of strong condemnation from the church in Nigeria, 25 people arrested and accused of orchestrating the chaos in Kontagora were prosecuted in court for murder. On June 28, 2006, “Compass Direct” reported that an unidentified Christian woman in Izom, Niger State of Nigeria was stoned to death and beaten to death for carrying out street evangelism. The woman who had reportedly testified to a group of Muslim youths and handed them leaflets was later accused by the same group of insulting Mohamed.

Muslim extremists from the area stormed the Izom police station where she was being held and demanded that she be released to be stoned to death in accordance with Islamic law. While trying to smuggle the woman out her back door, the Muslims grabbed the woman and stoned her to death, while three police officers were injured in the altercation. The journalist who has the mandate of the people to reflect society and educate it, has difficulties in reporting on social issues.
In some situations, the reporter faces personal self-censorship, for some other reporters, it is regional oppression and pressure from the state. This limits the reporter’s ability to deliver results. The media that is caught in the web of regional division will surely polarize along the religious line and partisanship will begin to creep in. However, the questions now being raised are how the media can operate in an extralegal or lawless situation, especially when Muslims insist that the Koran is superior to the nation’s constitution.

Second, how do journalists ensure fairness, objectivity and balance when reporting on such polarizing issues as religious crises, and how do they navigate various ethical and legal constraints when trying to report on violent religious crises? Some suggestions were that Christians and indeed journalists should try to learn about and understand Islam, so that they can relate better to Muslims.

Additionally, Muslim reporters must be sent to cover Islamic assignments and vice versa, and one-on-one interviews with Muslim government officials must be recorded in the event of a disclaimer. In general, journalists reporting on religious issues must be impartial, objective and, above all, must put the national interest above paramount considerations. The media must be socially responsible even to report sensitive topics such as blasphemy without fear or favoritism, but they must present the facts with facts, knowing that the truth is a defense in the courts of law.

If there is a religious brawl somewhere, the journalist should promote peace through sensible writing and should try not to escalate or give staggering numbers that trigger violence. A note of caution to religious sects given by Bishop Michael Ali: “Religion must accept criticism from outside as well as be self-critical of itself.”