A new effort to shut down hundreds of churches in Rwanda is generating mixed reactions within this predominantly Christian nation of 12 million people.
The government has closed thousands of churches and dozens of mosques as it seeks to assert more control over a vibrant religious community whose sometimes makeshift operations, authorities say, threaten the lives of followers.
Human rights groups accuse President Paul Kagame’s government of clamping down on freedom of expression. They say the arrests of six pastors who protested the church closings justifies the concern.
Kagame denies the claims saying that the country has an unusually high number of churches.
“700 churches in Kigali?” he said of houses of worship in the nation’s capital in March. “Are these boreholes (deep wells) that give people water? I don’t think we have as many boreholes. Do we even have as many factories? This has been a mess!”
Kagame went on to say that such a high number of churches is only fit for bigger, more developed economies that have the means to sustain them.
The government also says the closings are necessary because many of the churches have failed to comply with national building safety and health standards.
“The prayer houses were found in such poor physical conditions, and we are not targeting any religion,” Anastase Shyaka, the head of the Rwanda Governance Board that regulates faith-based organizations, told the AP. “We are closing prayer houses of all different denominations and asking them to meet existing health and safety standards for their followers.”
Mosques across Rwanda also have been affected. About 100 have been closed, according to the leader of the country’s Muslim community, Mufti Sheikh Salim Hitimana
“We are now trying to fix what the government told us to do,” he said.
Some evangelical leaders said they support Rwanda’s crackdown, saying that protecting the lives of churchgoers is important and having qualified, trained leaders is necessary.
Some Rwandans also welcome the government’s involvement.
They say many churches and pastors need to be supervised and if need be, action taken against exploitative pastors.
Lawmakers are debating new legislation requiring pastors to have a theology degree before they start their own churches. The aim is to regulate the Pentecostal churches that often spring up under leaders who claim to have received a call to preach. The majority of churches that have been closed are said to be small Pentecostal prayer houses, with some preachers suspected of growing rich off often impoverished followers.
Suggestions from religious leaders soon will be forwarded to the Rwanda Law Reform Commission for scrutiny and later to parliament. The legislation is expected to be passed as the ruling party holds a majority of parliamentary seats.
