By Andrew Okonye
For the second time in a row, the United States has designated Nigeria amongst Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) guilty of “egregious violations of religious freedom.”
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The country was added to the CPC after an indictment by the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2019.
The 2018 report from the commission, released in 2019, read, “Religious freedom conditions in Nigeria trended negatively in 2018. The Nigerian government at the national and state levels continued to tolerate violence and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief, and suppressed the freedom to manifest religion or belief.”
The report added that “religious sectarian violence increased during the year, with Muslims and Christians attacked based on their religious and ethnic identity.”
Another case cited was the violation of rights of Shi’a members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), whose leader Sheikh Ibrahim El Zaky Zaky is still in detention despite a court ordering his release.
Based on the commission’s report, the U. S government re-designated Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 while Cuba, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Sudan were added to this list,”
The country also designated al-Nusra Front, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qa’ida, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan, and the Taliban as Entities of Particular Concern.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, on Monday, Nigeria has been re-designated as CPC for the second time.
“Religious freedom is an unalienable right, and the bedrock upon which free societies are built and flourish. Today, the United States – a nation founded by those fleeing religious persecution, as the recent Commission on Unalienable Rights report noted – once again took action to defend those who simply want to exercise this essential freedom.”
“The United States is designating Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, the DPRK, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended, for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom,” the statement read.
Mr Pompeo stated that the U.S. has not renewed the prior Entity of Particular Concern designations for al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS-Khorasan, due to the total loss of territory formerly controlled by these terrorist organizations.
“While these two groups no longer meet the statutory criteria for designation, we will not rest until we have fully eliminated the threat of religious freedom abuses by any violent extremist and terrorist groups,” he said.
On the achievements recorded, he announced that Sudan and Uzbekistan have been removed from the Special Watch List based on significant progress undertaken by their respective governments over the past year.
He cited courageous reforms of their laws and practices as models for other nations to follow.
“And yet our work is far from complete. The United States will continue to work tirelessly to end religiously motivated abuses and persecution around the world, and to help ensure that each person, everywhere, at all times, has the right to live according to the dictates of conscience.”
Nigerian govt rejects U.S. listing of country
The Nigerian government has rejected the country’s listing by the United States amongst Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) guilty of “egregious violations of religious freedom.”
The US in its report cited the violation of rights of Shi’a members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), whose leader Sheikh Ibrahim El Zaky Zaky is still in detention despite a court ordering his release as one of the cases it considered.
It also cited the attack on christians and muslims based on their religious identities.
Nigeria was again re-designated as CPC for the second time on Monday according to a statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the listing as a case of honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.
”Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution. Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions,” the minister said.
He said Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard.
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