Roughly 250 imams and Islamic preachers attended a national awareness session on online hate speech amid rising extremist violence in Burkina Faso. Attendees reportedly received a public speaking guide that forbids the misuse of Islamic narratives to incite tension and promote national instability.
The Federation of Islamic Associations in Burkina Faso (FAIB) urged Muslim youths to use social media responsibly. In a Facebook post, the union reaffirmed its commitment to improving ongoing training for imams, focusing on religious communication.
They emphasized that non-compliance with the new code of conduct would attract disciplinary and possibly criminal sanctions. Specifically, the punishment includes, but is not limited to, a preaching ban lasting up to two years from preaching.
Last year, a video surfaced online showing a preacher urging his followers to attack members of another Muslim congregation. This made the federation sound the alarm on the emergence of harmful distortions of religious teachings.
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FAIB expressed that, due to social media widespread usage in Africa, it can be used to facilitate extremist ideas. Additionally, it can serve as a tool to circulate emotionally driven content and amplify users’ frustrations.
According to reports, terrorism in the Sahel region of the country has exceeded 6000 for three consecutive years. This figure represents more than half of all terrorism-related fatalities recorded globally, highlighting the Sahel region’s ongoing insecurity.
United Nations figures also estimate a 68% rise in terrorism fatalities, making the country the global leader in terrorism-related deaths.
