LEGAL FRAMEWORK

The constitution provides for the separation of religion and state and stipulates all persons are entitled to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It states no one shall be hindered in the exercise of these rights except as required by law to protect public safety, order, health, morals, or the rights of others. It provides for equal protection under the law and prohibits political parties that exclude citizens from membership based on religious affiliation. It also states no religious group shall have exclusive privileges or preferences and that the country shall establish no state religion.

The government requires all religious groups, except for Indigenous ones that generally operate under customary law, to register their articles of incorporation and their organizations’ statements of purpose.

Local religious organizations register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and pay a one-time fee of 7,500 Liberian dollars (L$) ($40) to file their articles of incorporation and an annual fee of L$3,500 ($19) for registration. Foreign religious organizations pay L$78,000 ($410) for registration annually and a one-time fee of L$96,000 ($510) to file their articles of incorporation. Religious organizations also pay L$1,500 to L$2,000 ($8to $11) to notarize articles of incorporation to be filed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an additional L$1,500 ($8) to receive a registered copy of the articles. The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning issues proof of accreditation for the articles of incorporation. There is also an option of completing the same process at the Liberia Business Registry. Some religious organizations are eligible to register at the business entity level, in compliance with a government regulation.

Registered religious organizations, including missionary programs, religious charities, and religious groups, receive income tax exemptions and duty-free privileges on goods brought into the country, privileges not afforded to unregistered groups. Registered groups may be sued as a single entity separately from any lawsuits brought against individual owners.

The law requires high-level government officials to take an oath ending with the phrase, “So help me God” when assuming office. On those occasions, it is customary for Christians to kiss the Bible, and Muslims the Quran.

Public schools offer nonsectarian religious and moral education as part of the standard curriculum, which includes an overview and history of various religious traditions and an emphasis on moral values.

The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

GOVERNMENT PRACTICES

During the lead-up to October national elections, several political candidates used churches to deliver political campaign speeches, criticize opponents and respond to critics, express their opinions on the national observance of Islamic holidays, and debate the county’s status as a secular state. For example, press reports noted that incumbent President George Weah frequently made political statements from the pulpit in his church during the presidential election campaign, including criticism of political opponents such as Senator Prince Yormie Johnson. Johnson, for his part, leveled criticisms at President Weah during services at his own church.

In a pre-election interview in the New Dawn newspaper, Tiawan Gongloe, presidential candidate of the Liberian People’s Party, said that, because Liberia was the only country in West Africa that did not have an Islamic holiday, there was a need to strengthen religious tolerance by ensuring that Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, became a national holiday.

In the lead-up to national elections, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia appealed to political parties and candidates to do their upmost to advance peace and ensure their supporters conducted themselves appropriately.

Muslim religious leaders called for their adherents to remain calm despite campaign promises by some politicians to make the country a Christian state. Muslim religious leaders also urged their adherents not to vote for a candidate solely on the basis of pledges to mark Islamic observances as national holidays, if elected. In April, leader of the Liberia Restoration Party Allen Roosevelt Brown promised to “redeem” the country’s Christian faith by returning the country to a Christian state using the “trenches of politics.” While addressing reporters in Monrovia, Brown stated the country was established “on the fundamental pillar of faith,” although it was made a secular state by the 1986 constitution.

Grand Mufti of the Fatwa Council of Liberia Sheikh Sumaworo called for unity and restraint among Muslims during his Eid al-Fitr message in April amid calls for official recognition of Islamic holidays or for a return of the country to a Christian state. Sumaworo exhorted followers to denounce those who “sow seeds of disunity” among Muslims.

During the July 21 Thanksgiving and Intercessory Service held at the Black Jina Central Mosque in Jacob Town, President Weah raised religious tolerance as an essential element to maintaining peace and harmony in the country. He appealed to Liberians to demonstrate maturity during the October 10 elections by voting peacefully.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is reported warming relations with the government and during the year, commenced preliminary exploratory talks with the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) to recognize and conduct Baha’i marriages. CNDRA had officers stationed at its central office to conduct weddings and award marriage certificates for Christians and Muslims and suggested stationing a Baha’i representative at the CNDRA to conduct weddings and process marriage certificates for Baha’is.

Human rights organizations continued to call upon the government to intervene in and investigate cases of persons accused of witchcraft being injured or killed as the result of exorcisms and trials by ordeal.

According to radio reports, on April 20, President Weah granted all Muslims working in the public sector a day off to observe Eid al-Fitr. In 2022, the National Imam Council of Liberia had urged municipal authorities in Monrovia to grant a holiday on Eid al-Fitr for Muslim workers in the city; Weah’s directive covered the whole country.

In practice and by tradition, Christian chaplains led a Christian invocation before the start of public events or official government business, with an Islamic prayer at the end. With the exception of the Supreme Court, the armed forces, and the Office of the President, few, if any, institutions had Muslim chaplains to lead a benediction.

Muslims reported the government provided disproportionately more subsidies to schools affiliated with Christian organizations than to those affiliated with Muslim organizations, although the government stated it provided subsidies to schools based on need, through an application process.

Religious leaders continued to recommend that the government engage religious communities in proactive dialogue on social and other issues, such as political violence and disputes and economic development, rather than calling upon religious organizations as mediators only after problems developed. An example of this was an April 26 appeal by the Liberia Council of Churches for the government to address growing insecurity following an armed robbery and killing in Monrovia. On May 12, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission held an advocacy workshop for interfaith leaders on corruption, transparency, and accountability in which participants said that a lack of basic social services and essential medicines in rural areas contributed to increased urban migration and crime. Religious leaders continued to express willingness to mediate in conflict situations as an extension of their proactive dialogue on social issues.