It should be clear that a question of religion is not the same thing as a question of secularity. The June 3 ruling by a High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, in favour of religion-related veil-wearing by female Muslim students in public primary and secondary schools in the state, is food for thought.
A report said: “The court, presided by Justice Jide Falola, in a 51-page judgment…held that any act of molestation, harassment, torture and humiliation against female Muslim students using Hijab constitutes a clear infringement on their fundamental rights. Folala cited Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) to rest his ruling.” It continued: “Osun State Muslim Community on Feb. 14, 2013, dragged the State Government to the court. They sought an order of the court to allow female Muslim students to enjoy their fundamental rights by granting them order to use veil in public schools.”
My mind went back to April 2014 when the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) and The State Government of Osun organised an All-Comers Colloquium onFundamental Imperatives of Cohabitation: Faith and Secularism at the centre’s Auditorium, Abere, Osogbo.
Have you heard? This was the question many people in the hall asked others following the news that Boko Haram terrorists had bombed the Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja with at least 75 people dead and 164 injured. It was the opening ceremony of the colloquium. A moment of silence was observed for victims of the bombing.
This coincidence was striking and mirrored the timeliness of the event, which the conveners said was “organised against the background of perceived religious war by Boko Haram and tension in some states, for example Osun, where religious differences are being exploited to cause trouble.” CBCIU Chairman, Professor Wole Soyinka, stressed that the colloquium should not be seen as just a direct reaction to the Boko Haram terror campaign which has escalated in the northeastern part of the country since 2009. He said: “The conference has been conceived in many minds for decades in the face of rising problems.”
Fundamentally, Soyinka meant that Boko Haram is not simply an identifiable physical group of religious extremists, but also a metaphorical signification, referring to all manifestations of extremism based on faith. Soyinka described the Boko Haram insurgency as “a war situation, which is a strictly security situation.”
On Day Two of the colloquium, Soyinka was proved right as the Islamist terror champions on April 14 kidnapped 276 students at the Girls Senior Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The extremely scandalous incident continues to trigger emotionally charged responses worldwide, particularly as 218 abducted Chibok schoolgirls are still missing.
In his opening-day speech, Soyinka had pointed out that “we cannot underestimate the religious inspiration”, suggesting that religious adherents could go to unimaginable lengths to further their cause.
It is precisely this lack of limit, especially in the context of secular society, that the colloquium was organised to address.
Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is a Muslim occupying a secular office, expressed his standpoint at the forum. He said: “My position is that religion should not be a source of rancour, misery and cheap death as we have in Nigeria today. Accommodation of one another should transcend the context of faith.”
Soyinka, a master playwright, imaginatively and dramatically captured the need to separate faith and secularism, and the necessity for harmonious cohabitation in the country’s multi-religious situation. The Nobelist said: “I admit that I’m not a particularly religious person, but I believe in the spiritual quest; every human has a portion of himself which seeks transcendence. Sometimes I wish religionists would leave us to develop the earth, and go to paradise or wherever; they can take a spaceship to another planet where they can live by faith.”
The three-day conference, with four plenary sessions and 18 papers, was marked by open and frank discussions, and participants explored the essence of the concept of secularism as it applied to the country in particular. The papers included Primordial Spirituality as Agent of Development by Prof Dawud Noibi; Religion and Development by Mr. Modupe Oduyoye; Equilibrium that Adjusts the World by Dr. Abiodun Agboola; Pluralism and Accommodation in a Democratic Society by Pastor (Dr.) Michael Adekunle; Quest for Peace by Mr. Mustapha Adebayo Bello and Personified and Objectified Persons by Dr. Olujide Gbadegesin.
Others were: From Violent Crises to Insurgency by Dr. Bimbo Adesoji; Theocracy and Secular Mind by Dr. Kamil Koyejo Oloso; Reinventing the Wheel of our Life by Ogbeni Funmi Odusolu; Secularism and Pluralism Nexus: The Nigerian and Sudanese Experience by Comrade Jide Olutobi; When Faith Makes Sense: Religion as Catalyst of Progress and Development by Engr. Moses Oludele Idowu and You Must Find Your Own Way by Mr. Femi Macaulay.
Additional papers were: Mythologies and the Test of Humanity by Ms. Folakemi Odoaje; Where the Rain Began to Beat Us? by Engr. Moses Oludele Idowu; From Mysticism to Technology by Dr. Tunde Adegbola; Rational Religion by Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon and What Shall We Teach Our Children? by Abdul-Hakeem Ajilola.
There was a perceptible tension between advocates of “strict secularity”, which implies a “relegation of religion in public affairs”, and proponents of “quasi-secularism”, which suggests “minimum religious penetration of state affairs”. However, it was generally agreed that there is a need for cohabitation in the context of “secularism that respects and appreciates the reality of diverse faiths without promoting any religion at the expense of others.” Aregbesola said: “We need an organised intervention in this area.”
A central issue in the various perspectives was the observed religionisation of politics by the country’s leaders, which continues to complicate the fundamentals of secularity. Concerning those who misuse religion for non-religious purposes, Soyinka noted: “The mind is where it started and ultimately the mind is where this disease will be cured.”
Collective recommendations emerged towards attaining inter-faith harmony in the pursuit of peace for social progress. The proposed path was specific: Constitution review to reflect religious diversity; tightening legislation to address religious violence; non-politicisation of religion; value reorientation; programme of compulsory education for social enlightenment and establishment of a national centre for inter-faith studies.
In the final analysis, the legal endorsement of hijab in public schools in Osun State further highlights ambiguous secularity.
NATION
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