THE KENYAN STATE AND THE "SHAKAHOLA FOREST MASSACRE” - Policing and Managing Religious Beliefs
THE KENYAN STATE AND THE "SHAKAHOLA FOREST MASSACRE” - Policing and Managing Religious Beliefs Enyinna S Nwauche (Prof) It is impossible for any State to effectively and sustainably determine citizens’ religious beliefs. But certain aspects of any belief system must be managed. Without being exhaustive, when belief systems threaten the lives of other citizens or even that of the faithful, States have to intervene. The State's intervention to challenge or restrict the outcomes of a religious organisation is often arduous. At the root of the dilemma that faces States is that intervention is a sanction or disapproval of a belief system. If States look the other way in the face of what others may call ‘weird’ belief systems, it is deliberate to ensure that the right to freedom of belief is meaningful. Evaluating the legitimacy or otherwise of certain beliefs is likely a slippery slope that often ends in discrimination and exclusion. Be that as it may, there is a line that re...