Religious fundamentalism: A threat to African Union

Abstract

One of the factors that led to the fall of the defunct O.A.U and that may contribute to the collapse of A.U, if no adequate precaution is taken, is the poor understanding of the essence of religion or obscurantism of religion. Poor understanding of the essence of religion has led to its attendant evil of religious fundamentalism and consequent crises. Poor understanding of religion in the sense that some members of a particular religious extract erroneously feel that the only way to salvation is through their own religious teachings (fundamentalism). And this consequently has led to forceful conversion on others and resultant tensions, maiming and outright killing of people (crises). O.A.U confronted with this problem of religious fundamentalism, and other factors, such as, mismanagement of public funds and tribalism, found among its heads of state in different African countries, collapsed. This ugly phenomenon of religious fundamentalism, no doubt, one feels, stares the A.U in the face, and as such, calls for urgent redress. With the above, through the philosophical method of critical analysis, this paper therefore is (a) out to expose the dysfunctional role of religious fundamentalism which includes intolerance, lack of freedom of worship, witch-hunting, sexual abuse, loss of hard earned properties and lives (b) to proffer massive education as a primary means of salvaging the already deteriorating situation and subsequently avert a threat to A.U.