Abstract

Christianity is the majority religion in Cameroon, with significant minorities of the adherents of Islam and traditional faiths, normal Cameroon is secular country, Christian churches and muslim centers of various denominations operate freely throughout Cameroon.  there are other faiths in the country like the Baha’I.

Despite of the laws on Freedom of worship in Cameroon, with the constitution and the law regulation freedom of association and other international treaties to promote protect and to save-guide individual and religious authorities in the country, they have rights and obligations which individuals, Religious, have witnessed restrictions and great infringements when it comes to exercising their freedom of worship. Here worship have become so political in the sense that some faiths don’t want to associate with others, even though the government  have no discrimination on religion as its seen on it official Christian public holidays.

This research adopts the qualitative research methodology which can be defined as methodology that deals with the exploration of fact using words as oppose to numbers. It deals with the analyses of legal doctrine, principles, and legal concepts. It relies on the reason behind various aspect of behavior. It deals with questioning on how or why things are the way they are.

This qualitative research methodology shall make use of the doctrinal method which is the research into doctrines. It involves analyses of case laws and statutory provisions by application of the power of reasoning. It deals with content analyses and interpretation of primary and secondary data. It shall adopt both the primary and secondary data in which the primary data refers to original or firsthand information that is directly related to the subject of the study. Primary data includes; Statutes, Case Law, Treaties, interview.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter seeks to unveil the background to the study, statement of the problem, research question, research objective, research methodology, literature review, justification, significance, scope of the study, limitations, definition of key terms, and synopsis of chapters. On the area of religion, human right in Cameroon specifically on freedom of worship in Cameroon. this research will make use of the history of region, the effects, positively and negatively to individual and some communities due to their believes.

Historical Background on the Right to Worship in Cameroon

Worship can be traced as far back in the old testament in the bible when God talk to the people of Israel either through a dream, angels, visitors and fire, right up to the days of Jesus  ministry to his last days, and finally the authority Jesus gave his disciples when he send to them the holy spirit on Pentecost day  which from that time the apostle went to different communities preaching and baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ. During this period church were created and this brought the establishment of different Christian laws in the different churches because of their native believes and laws from the old. The first record of Christianity or Christian was used in the  new testament, after Barnabas brought Saul (who later became Paul to Antioch where they thought the disciples for almost a year.

In the early middle ages, missionary activities spread Christianity West and North. Monks and Nuns played a prominent role in establishing Christendom which influenced  every aspect of the medieval life. From the ninth-century into the twelfth. And in the 21st century,traditional Christianity has declined in the West, while new forms have developed and expanded throughout the world. With a symbol of the cross of Jesus

In looking at Christianity and the Muslim faith, there exist a slight similarities on their belief. Muslims believes that Jesus is called “Isa” in Arabic, and this Isa was a prophet of God and was born to a virgin Mary. They also believe he will return to earth before the day of judgmenent to restore justie and defeat al-ashi ad-Dajjal, known to them as the false prophet.

Christianity is the majority religion in Cameroon, with significant minorities of the adherents of Islam and traditional faiths, normal Cameroon is secular  country, Christian churches and muslim centers of various denominations operate freely throughout Cameroon.  there are other faiths in the country like the Baha’i  but what was cameroon before toady is wordy to note that during the colonial era, Cameroon was ruled by both Germany and France, and the approaches to religious freedom and tolerance differed between the two colonial powers. The German colonial administration was generally more tolerant of indigenous religious practices and customs to which they allowed traditional animist beliefs and rituals to continue, as long as they did not conflict with colonial economic and political interests. The Germans, also contributing immensely encouraged the spread of Protestant Christianity, but did not actively suppress other faiths as such ,there was a greater degree of religious pluralism and freedom under German colonial rule. But In contrast, the French colonial  authorities followed a more assimilationist approach and favored the promotion of Christianity, especially Catholicism and for such they were more active in trying to limit the influence of traditional African religions and Islam and the French banned  certain indigenous religious practices and rituals, and pressured local populations to convert to Christianity and had to equally put some restrictions on the activities of Muslim communities and the building of new mosques in some regions. In Cameroon, Muslim belong to a sufi Tariqah

In talking about Cameroon in term of culture and religion, the country Cameroon has seen different forms of human habitation since before the coming of the German and before the wars. The earliest discovered at Shum Lake, was the Bamenda Highland in Western Cameroon, near the border of Nigeria, which its origin is liken to the Bantu People, which it culture dominated and influence other cultures at the time.

After Cameroon gained independence in 1960, the new government made efforts to enshrine the principle of religious freedom in the constitution and legal frameworks. This was adopted from international tool, like the international convention of human right, which provided that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, this rights includes to change religion and belief.”  To this effect, the Cameroon’s constitution provided guarantees for freedom of religion and prohibited religious discrimination that is why as of early post-independence government initially took a relatively neutral stance, allowing different religious groups to practice freely leading the expansion of Religion pluralism in Cameroon with the growth of various Christian denominations, as well as the continued presence of Islam and traditional African religions from there the government started to show more interference and control over religious affairs, especially related to Christian churches though  reports of the government favoring certain Christian denominations over others, and restricting the activities of those seen as too politically active or critical of the government.  This led to some tensions and restrictions on the full exercise of religious freedom.

By the transition to a multi-party democracy in the early 1990s, religious freedom saw further expansion in Cameroon, the government of Cameroon became more tolerant of minority religious groups and allowed for greater religious pluralism which to such effect Registration requirements for religious groups were maintained, but the process became more inclusive.  Churches in Cameroon are governed and regulated by the constitution and by law No 90/53 of 19 December 1990 relating to the freedom of association, together with all the amendments.

There exist missionary groups in the country Cameroon they operate without impediment. But the licensing requirements for foreign groups are the same as those for domestic religious denominations. However, the government do not register traditional indigenous religion groups, and that it is a privet concept and it’s observed by members of a particular ethic  or kingship group or the residents of a particular location. But not is taken by the Cameroon penal law by in criminating witchcraft.

With the creation of religious houses and groups, security challenges such as Boko Haram, which their attacks can be divided into several sectors such, the attack against local Christians in Boko Haram core operating areas, major suicide operations or bombing attacks of high-profile churches, attacks on religious authorities, not only Christians, but Muslims alike. Another challenges faced by religious communities is the escalation of the ongoing Anglophone crisis in the two English speaking regions (the Northwest and the Southwest) the impact on religion freedom in certain regions prevented freedom of worship with restrictions, harassment, and violence targeting religious minorities, especially Muslims in the Far North region and questioning the favoritism of the government to certain Christian denominations over others in some instances.

Statement Of The Problem

Despite of the laws on Freedom of worship in Cameroon, with the constitution and the law regulation freedom of association and other international treaties to promote protect and to save-guide individual and religious authorities in the country, they have rights and obligations which individuals, Religious, have witnessed restrictions and great infringements when it comes to exercising their freedom of worship. Here worship have become so political in the sense that some faiths don’t want to associate with others, even though the government  have no discrimination on religion as its seen on it official Christian public holidays.

The registration requirements appears to be a problem because any one who feels that he can open a church can just wake up and start preaching, the is little or no serious follow is done on the creation of churches in our local communities.

And even with the freedom of worship some denomination has refused to accept inter marriages and induct certain doctrines adopted by another. This is seen some time when a Christian wants to change is region to another. This is common in Presbyterian church and the Roman Catholic church, while the Pentecostal don’t complicate things to an extent.

Research Questions

General Research Question

How effective is freedom of worship in Cameroon?

Specific Research Questions

1. What is the concept of freedom of worship in Cameroon?
2. What are the legal and institutional frameworks when it comes to freedom of worship in Cameroon?
3. How effective are these legal and institutional frameworks on freedom of worship in Cameroon?
4. What are the policy recommendations about freedom of worship in Cameroon?

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