𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗪, 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲, 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
In a decisive move to uphold national harmony, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Sierra Leone, convened an emergency #interfaith engagement at its New England Ville office in #Freetown. The urgent meeting, bringing together #Muslim and #Christian leaders, was prompted by a controversial public statement from a religious figure. The controversy stemmed from social media videos in which a Muslim preacher declared that Muslims who celebrate #Christmas would face condemnation. The statement triggered a public outcry, drawing the immediate attention of key government officials and MDAs.
Addressing the gathering, 𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 – 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞, explained that the meeting was urgently called despite the holiday period, underscoring the government’s commitment to preserving peace. She thanked the religious leaders for their strong turnout, describing it as a clear sign of their investment in Sierra Leone’s peace and development.
The Minister acknowledged the widespread discomfort caused by the statement made around Christmas. She revealed the personal impact of the fallout through intense public reactions and #socialmedia pressure but stressed that dialogue, not silence, is the nation’s strength. Reaffirming Sierra Leone’s reputation for #ReligiousTolerance and coexistence, she noted the historical harmony between Muslims and Christians. She condemned any speech attacking another faith as unacceptable and contrary to the nation’s core values.
While acknowledging that mistakes occur, she emphasized the need for clear and sincere apologies, a principle guiding the engagement held with the Inter-Religious Council. She highlighted that the government, including the Vice President and President of #SierraLeone, had distanced itself from the divisive statement, sending a unified message that “no religion, tribe, or politics would be allowed to divide the nation.”
In her closing remarks, she urged all religious leaders to be mindful of their words, especially in the age of social media, and to continue correcting one another with love to preserve the nation’s legacy of unity.
On his own part, the Muslim cleric at the center of the controversy publicly apologized to the nation. He expressed deep regret for the hurt and division caused and reaffirmed his personal commitment to peace and interfaith harmony. In a spirit of reconciliation, other prominent religious leaders from both faiths present graciously accepted the apology. They emphasized forgiveness as a core tenet of their religions and collectively called for strengthened unity, mutual respect, and continued collaboration among all faith communities.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭:
𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫
+𝟐𝟑𝟐 𝟕𝟐 𝟓𝟑𝟕 𝟎𝟑𝟓 | 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦.𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫.𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐰@𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐜.𝐠𝐨𝐯.𝐬𝐥