Readings and Reflections from the Jungles of Sub-Saharan Africa
By: Kono Dumo Ukumo
May 1, 2026
Hundreds of thousands have migrated from Arab-Islamic countries to Europe, particularly during the days of the “Arab Spring” in the second decade of this century. Like other citizens of those countries, the new arrivals from the Middle East enjoyed freedom of belief. Unfortunately, however, they misunderstood those freedoms and exploited them for imperialistic political purposes to spread a totalitarian fundamentalist religious ideology that does not recognize the rights of others. They began blocking streets in prayer sessions in a shallow and misguided display of “muscles” that are, in reality, withered and non-existent.
The reaction of the European law makers has been to amend and enact new laws that protect the status and safety of the European citizen from religious bullying and blind religious arrogance.
Some of us in the jungles of Africa, out of concern and due to our first-hand experience with that bloody fundamentalism had watched with apprehension for decades as we observed an imperialistic migration invasion settlers take over Europe where the concept of Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sprouted.
European laws, ladies and gentlemen, are not ready-made revelations sent down from the seven heavens to support schemes for oppressing citizens or to bolster tyrants and dark, “celestial” regimes. European laws, my esteemed friends, were enacted by European governments for the protection and safety of their citizens.
These new laws being enacted now in many countries in Europe do not and are not meant to target the ordinary, dignified believer who performs religious rituals for worship – such as prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage – to draw closer to their God through generosity, kindness to others, helping the needy, and maintaining responsibility toward children, families, and society. No.
Those high-level values are the very things that freedom of belief laws were originally meant to allow and protect – not the incitement of violence, the incitement of hatred toward those with different belief systems, or the incitement of hatred against followers of other faiths – done from mosque pulpits and loudspeakers. No.
When religion exceeds the limits of those values and tries to convince us that extremist individuals have the rights – as part of their religious rights – to spread terror, violence, and terrorism whenever and wherever they wish; when it interferes in every minor and major detail of the lives of those with different believes; and when repeated attempts are made to prevent non-Muslims from eating during the day in Ramadan or to prevent women who do not wear the hijab from moving safely in certain neighborhoods and streets, then this is crime, not religion. It deserves the enactment of new laws to protect citizens, just as European countries are doing now, today.
When the slaughter of unarmed citizens under the pretext of Jihad becomes widespread, when citizens are under threats of spray of bullets of hatred and malice at any moment, when they are run over by the vehicles of “lone wolves” at any time, and when the phenomenon of stabbing the elderly with knives while shouting “Allahu Akbar” becomes the new normal, then laws must be reviewed to protect citizens. This is not a “phobia”; it is leadership`s responsibility.
The fundamentalists have persistently said with utter arrogance: “We love death more than you guys love life.” Well, why then did they flee their own countries? Why leave their home countries where death is readily available, distributed wholesale by governments and by the religious groups opposing those governments – both groups of which pray, fast, and are busily engaged in Jihad for the sake of God.
Why doesn’t the “believer” flee to Afghanistan or Iran, where at least some form of Sharia law is applied? Instead, the believer chooses to flee to the lands of the “infidels,” “heresy,” and beer-drinking lots, only to give themselves pain and heartache and give others headache for no reason at all.
Prohibition and legal deterrence against the practices of the fundamentalist followers of the “original, authentic version” – which is as well called extremist fundamentalist form of this religion is not a phobia, but is entirely justified. As we all know, the term “phobia” is applied only to unjustified fears.
Enacting appropriate laws to protect citizens is not a phobia; it is a national and ethical responsibility toward citizens and the homeland. It is a high moral responsibility toward humanity and toward “humanizing” the humanity that has been dehumanized in our countries. Those who call it phobia or Islamophobia are therefore utterly wrong.