‘Ž‹–‹…•ǡ Žƒ™ǡ ”‡Ž‹‰‹‘
Sir,
Religion and politics are siblings mothered and winged by the law. Many people debate that religion is not political yet a close relationship can be vividly seen in many instances. How does one refute that religious instructions in public schools are allowed? The State, as the principal authority structuring society through the enactment of laws, tends to involve some regulation of religious affairs through constitutional provisions and legislation. Unfortunately these constitutional provisions and legislation are sometimes discriminatory, immoral, yet legally marginalise and violate other citizens who happen to have a different belief system not advocated by the State.
The State simply enacts laws that either tie citizens to affiliate to a certain religious belief system or recognise only certain religions while violating the rights of other religions to organise, mobilise and practice. What is even more alarming is that the bodies of churches which are supposed to be the epitome of love are in the forefront advocating for acts that are inhumane. It is heart-wounding to see that such respected institutions can manipulate history just to push their propagated agenda.
History tells us that King Somhlolo had a vision of a book and a coin. The coin symbolised money while the book symbolised religion. Does it occur to people that the book could have symbolised Islam, Judaism or any other religion? Are they not religions after all? The vision was not specific about which religion the country must choose; why then discriminate against other religions? What are they afraid of? Why deprive children the freedom and right to choose which religion they want to follow? Where is freedom then when we still religiously oppress people? Why do we deprive emaSwati the knowledge of emadloti, the right to know where they come from? What is the future of our country when we have respected men who work around the clock to demonise our rich history as emaSwati? We are quick to abort our own to surrogate foreign seeds. Chinua Achebe documented how things fell apart, how religion was used to knife apart the once close knitted African community. Allow our children to be taught different religious belief systems, in that way they will understand and begin to tolerate others.
Mncedisi