THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN CAMEROON AND BELIEF IN CAMEROON

INTRODUCTION

When the right to freedom of religion and belief is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the right to religious liberty, to worship (or not worship) freely, and to be able to enjoy life in society without discrimination on the basis of such beliefs. As a practical matter, however, the enjoyment of such primary religious freedom rights depends in critical ways on the legal structures available to religious communities to organize their affairs.

RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND FREEDOM OF BELIEF IN CAMEROON

The key Cameroon provisions dealing with freedom of belief is Law N^o 2008/001 of 14 April 2008 to amend and supplement some provisions of Law N^o 96/6 of 8 January 1996 to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon particularly the preambles of the constitution which provides that;

“Freedom of religion and worship shall be guaranteed”

Thus, the Constitution of Cameroon affirms the right to religious freedom.

Section 45 of the Cameroon Constitution provides that:

“Duly approved or ratified treaties and international agreements shall following their publication, overrides national laws, provided the other party implements the said treaty or agreement”

Cameroon has duly ratified the African charter on human and people’s rights, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These conventions guarantee the freedom to choose religion.

To begin with, Articles 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides that;

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”

The Universal Declaration also affirms rights to the freedom to choose religion and non-discrimination that bear on laws affecting the structuring of religious communities.

Also, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that;

1. “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

• Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
• The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions

FREEDON OF RELIGION AND BELIEF VIOLATIONS AND OTHER RIGHTS IN CAMEROON

Human rights are interrelated with each individual rights. In the same way, if we are to protect freedom of religion and belief, we need to protect other rights and if we are to protect other rights, we need to protect freedom of religion and belief.

• Religious minorities often experience violation of their rights to health, education and employment when they are discriminated against because of their religious identity as contained preamble of the 1996 Constitution of Cameroon as amended.
• Freedom of assembly and organisation are violated when religious groups are denied the right to assemble or function as a legal entity as contained preamble of the 1996 Constitution of Cameroon as amended.
• Restriction on freedom of expression such as censorship or blasphemy laws might affect what you can preach and which religious literature you can print.
• The right to life is violated when people are attacked and killed because of their faith as contained preamble of the 1996 Constitution of Cameroon as amended.

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION ON THE RIGHT OF F.O.R AND BELIEF

Is there any connection between freedom of FOR and belief and freedom of expression?

The right to FOR and belief and freedom of expression are both important for the wellbeing of society. They are important for the protection of minorities. The right to manifest your religion includes the right to express your belief in words. This is protected by freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief

Do you think there is a clash between FOR and belief and freedom of expression?

There is no clash between the right to FOR and belief and the freedom of expression in that;

• Freedom of religion and belief protects people not the feelings of the believers
• FOR and belief protects human not God
• Although the ability to critique is freedom of expression, there is no human right to freedom of being criticised, or upset by what people say.
• However, there are legitimate limitations to freedom of expression: hate speech, incitement to hostility and violence.
• But when does a criticism become hate speech?

To conclude there is a need for continuous seminars to be organized in Cameroon so churches, government and society can be educated on the right of freedom of religion and belief so as to ensure peaceful co-existence.

Article By Mafany victor Ngando

Kinsmen Humanitarian Foundation