![]() The return to a more fundamentalist Islam does not necessarily involve a greater propensity to violence, as shown by the existence of fundamentalist quietist currents. However, the rise in religiosity does not mean a higher risk of violence – a distinction rarely made in the current debate on violent extremism and religious radicalisation. Meanwhile, some Protestants are attracted by the discourse of new churches, some of which preach values that have little to do with tolerance. Certain Muslim leaders are concerned about foreign influence, especially from Gulf countries, which, although difficult to measure, may contribute to the development of stricter religious practices. Some Muslims are attracted to a fundamentalist form of Islam inspired by Wahhabism. ![]() It is all the more important to maintain the balance between communities given that individual religious behaviours have evolved, though it is difficult to assess the extent of such changes. If they fail to do so, some parts of the population may no longer feel the state is a useful interlocutor and turn to other ways of expressing their feelings. They must upgrade Franco-Arab education, which caters for a certain number of Muslim children and aims to combine Islamic and general education. Burkina’s authorities must correct the imbalance while avoiding sectarianism. In a country long ruled by a mainly Christian elite, this imbalance is not due to intentional discrimination rather, it is the legacy of colonisation and a multi-tiered education system. Frustrations are sometimes exaggerated, but perceptions are more important than reality. They also feel that public administration is sometimes biased in favour of Christianity and does not take their interests sufficiently into account. Muslims have long been frustrated at the discrepancy between their numbers – according to a contested census they represent about 60 per cent of the population, Christians 25 per cent and animists 15 per cent – and their low representation within the political elite and the civil service. However, in a worrying regional context and as new domestic tensions emerge, it is time to break the taboo. Bringing the question of religion into the public and political arena carries risks, including exacerbation of religious differences and political manipulation of identities. Peaceful coexistence is based on religious pluralism and the secondary importance of religious identity. They revealed some degree of stigmatisation and reflected concerns that had not been present until then. Isolated incidents of verbal aggression against Muslims were reported in the following weeks. However, the January 2016 attacks in Ouagadougou were a shock to both the general public and the ruling class. Muslims, Christians and animists are neighbours, live together and inter-marry. Given the porosity of borders and the speed at which ideas circulate, the country cannot remain untouched by the changes that are affecting its neighbours.īurkina has never suffered civil war or religious conflict. But the government must take steps now to ease frustrations and regulate religious discourse to safeguard Burkina’s model of peaceful coexistence.īurkina lies at the crossroads of two large regions in West Africa: the Sahel region, where a fundamentalist form of Islam seems to be gaining ground and armed and terrorist groups are active and the coastal region, where new Protestant churches sometimes adopt an intolerant discourse toward other religions. It would be risky to raise the sensitive issue of religion in a country where religious identity is of secondary importance. As Burkina is recovering from a period of instability following the October 2014 downfall of former President Blaise Compaoré, and faced with a security emergency and strong social pressures, the government could be tempted to ignore these developments. Meanwhile, the rising tide of religiously motivated violence in West Africa and the Sahel has created a new regional context. For several years now, Muslim leaders have complained that Muslims are under-represented in the civil service and that the administration is not always even-handed in its treatment of Christianity and Islam. Its model of religious coexistence remains solid but could be at risk of being eroded. Burkina Faso’s great religious diversity and tolerance make it an exception in Africa’s sub-Saharan Sahel. ![]()
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