Politicians in Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria are debating a bill aimed at curbing religious extremism. The Islamic Preaching Bill would outlaw preaching likely to cause a breach of the peace as well as requiring most clerics to obtain a preaching licence. The legislation was proposed after an Islamic sect was blamed for sectarian violence in northern Nigeria last year in which hundreds of people died. Under the new bill, there would be stiff penalties for clerics found guilty of insulting or inciting contempt of any religious belief which causes a breach of the peace. The bill is an attempt to prevent a recurrence of the violence which spread across Nigeria's northern states in July 2009 when supporters of an Islamic sect called Boko Haram - known locally as the ‘Taliban’ - attacked police and government offices.
Pray: that this bill will have the desired effect to prevent the recurrence of violence. (Ps.7:9)