The Culture Of Religiocentrism In Nigeria -By Hassan Idris

As a Sociologist and potential Criminologist, I know of ethnocentrism to mean the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often with the feelings that one’s own culture is superior. This is common to ethnic groups to which I know we never created these ethnic groups nor do we prayed in our mothers belly to be born Fulanis or Igbos . We all came and found ourselves in one of these aforementioned ethnic groups and then why the hatred and superiority for one another’s ethnic groups? A fulani man is a fulani man and will never be able to rebuke being a fulani man. So why fight for something that we can’t change. Humanity first before ethnicity!

Hassan Idris

However, today, I think there should be the word ‘religiocentrism’ which is defined as the conviction that a person’s own religion is more important or superior to other religions. It’s a situation where people see their religion as superior to other people’s own. And as such, people of various religions tend to have that mindset of superiority of their own religion over another and try hard to infuse and subdue other people’s religion. This religiocentrism is taught by some so called scholars and intelligentsia that we so hold dearly like demigods.

These religious leaders and scholars worsen it by teaching extreme religiocentrism and extremism. Parents, relatives and society at large hold to this doctirine and jettisoned religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence. It’s apalling how we follow this system. This system and structure put in place is sick, apparently appalling and would lead the society to running amok. Schools nowadays follow and teach nothing but religiocentrism. Where are we heading to?

Hassan Idris is a
Sociologists & a Poet.
A.B.U Zaria-Nigeria.
idrishassan035@gmail.com.