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Leo Igwe is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. Igwe is a former Western and Southern African representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and has specialized in campaigning

Nigeria News and Headlines 

Freedom of Religion or Belief and Non-Religious Persecution in Nigeria

Leo Igwe,
All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group Chair, Baroness Bakewell, Other distinguished parliamentarians, Fellow Humanists, Ladies and Gentlemen. When our forebears enshrined in article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the right to freedom of religion or belief, they acknowledged the inalienability of the right to think and believe freely. They recognized that for societies to prosper and flourish, and for human beings… Read More
Fake News by Pastors Nigeria News and Headlines Opinions 

Sanction Okotie, Suleman, Oyakhilome for Spreading Misinformation About COVID-19 in Nigeria

Leo Igwe, , , ,
By Leo Igwe The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) urges the Nigerian government to sanction clerics who are spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. This call has become necessary following declarations by pastors discouraging the public from taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church International Ministries has described the vaccine as “satanic”. For him, to… Read More
Human Rights Human Rights Nigeria News and Headlines 

Religion and Human Rights Abuses: Combating Islamic Extremism and Witch Persecution in Africa

Leo Igwe, ,
Events in the past few months have compelled a rethink of the link between religion and human rights. Protests across the Muslim world over the republication of the cartoons of Prophet, Muhammad and the attendant bloodletting in France have underscored the mortal threat of Islamic extremism. It is particularly worrying that at one of the protests in Pakistan, a Muslim… Read More
Africa OP-ED Opinions 

Atheism And Virus Of Taqiyyah In Muslim Communities By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe, , ,
Since the arrest and detention of Mubarak Bala, the atheist community in Nigeria has been afflicted by a more virulent form of Taqiyyah. Some Muslim individuals, who are seeking to fulfill imagined protective duties, have reached out to atheist and humanist organizations. These questers for this-worldly and otherworldly gains, desirers of Ummah capital, and transcendental mileage have been the prowl.… Read More
Africa OP-ED Opinions 

Religion And Contempt For Humanity By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
While there has been so much emphasis on how religion is a resource for human nourishment and enrichment, there has been limited conversation on the harmful and deleterious effect of religion on human beings. Religion has notedly inspired acts of love, kindness, compassion, and fellow feeling. Religion has motivated people to do so much good and render selfless services to… Read More
OP-ED Opinions 

Blasphemy Is A Right, Not A Crime By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe,
The arrest of Nigerian Humanist, Mubarak Bala, has generated heated debate on the issue of blasphemy on various platforms. Opinions are divided regarding the status of contempt of religion and how alleged blasphemers should be treated. In this piece, I draw attention to a perspective that analysts often overlook-that blasphemy is part of everyday discourse. People indulge in one form… Read More
OP-ED Opinions 

Bala’s Facebook Posts And Allegations Of Racism By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe,
Something is strikingly absurd in the petition brought against Mubarak Bala. That his said posts were forms of racist and xenophobic attack. Racist and xenophobic attack? Did the petitioners look up the meaning of these terms in a dictionary before using them? They said: “It should be noted that Mubarak’s characterization of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a terrorist follows that… Read More
OP-ED Opinions 

Mubarak Bala: Facebook Posts And Limits Of Religious Freedom By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe,
While waiting for the police to formally charge or release Mubarak Bala, it is important to critically examine a key proposition in the complaint filed against him at the Kano State Police Command.  This is necessary to understand the intent and motivation of the petitioners as well as implications for religious freedom in the country. The complainants claimed that Mubarak… Read More
OP-ED Opinions 

Confronting Jihadist Narratives And Islam-based Phobias In Nigeria By Leo Igwe

Leo Igwe,
Introduction While there has been much talk on insulting the prophet of Islam, there has not bpeen enough focus on Islam based phobias, that is, strands of hatred that draw from Islamic beliefs and practices, texts, and traditions. In this piece, I use the story of Gandoki and some verses from the Quran to highlight some jihadist narratives and phobias.… Read More