The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has announced the establishment of a working group to develop a comprehensive national database of shrines and other religious sites across the country.
Speaking before Parliament’s Committee on Assurances, the Minister said the task force comprises officers from the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Directorate, the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, and the Research, Statistics and Information Management Directorate.
“Honourable Chair, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has set up a working group comprising officers from Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research, Statistics and Information Management directorates to create the database on shrines and other religious sites in the country,” he said.
According to Mr. Ibrahim, the committee was formed because identifying and defining what constitutes a shrine is a complex matter that requires careful consideration and expert input.
“This is simply because a shrine is not just one thing. Even as we sit here, if I want to count a shrine, I need to be given the power. When I see you, I’ll remove your shirt and check you and do body check. So clearly it is not simple and straightforward,” he noted.
He explained that in some communities individuals may establish places they describe as shrines and begin practicing religious activities, making it necessary for the government to develop clear criteria for classification.
“You go to certain communities, somebody will come there and say he has a shrine and maybe begin to be doing things. No, that is another form of religion, but we are in charge of religion,” he added.
The Minister said one of the key responsibilities of the working group is to reach a common understanding of the nature and definition of shrines before a nationwide database is compiled.
“The nature of shrines will have to be agreed on. That is why a committee with expertise has been put in place,” he stated.
Mr. Ibrahim further noted that shrines can take various forms and may involve spiritual beliefs that are not always easy to categorize under conventional legal definitions.
“A shrine can be a pen. It can be a photo, a picture. It can be anything. And these are spiritual issues. The lawyers may disagree with you. So we need to have a very firm foundation as to what a shrine is,” he said.
