Framing Freedom of Religion or Belief for Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya: The Equivalency Framework of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya

Abstract

Over the past years, and in the aftermath of terror attacks, religious organizations in Kenya have issued press statements which conflate discourses on war against terror, security, and freedoms of religion. Using the example of one umbrella religious organization, the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK), this paper demonstrates how freedom of belief is framed in contexts of terror violence. Using framing theory and specifically the equivalency approach, EAK as a frame sponsor presents an alternative interpretive scheme on religious freedoms for judgements relating to terror attacks and related violence.

Keywords:

• Kenya
• Framing
• Press statements
• Extremism
• Evangelical Alliance of Kenya
• Religious Freedom

Notes

1 Framing research has accrued in a range of academic disciplines such as literature, sociology, economics, psychology, cognitive linguistics and communication. As a result, there are multiple theoretical and methodological approaches to framing (see D’Angelo 2002).

2 Address by Rev Calisto Odede, Senior Pastor, Nairobi Baptist Church in his speech on 2 December 2015 at the EAK convention.

3 See the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/EAKenya.

4 See “Bishop Mark Kariuki—Evangelical Alliance of Kenya #FromNowOn,” 13 November 2015. Online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWiuJ60fE6Q

5 See “Kenya church attacks ‘kill 15’ in Garissa,” BBC News, 1 July 2012.

6 See Kalume Kazungu, “Non-locals evacuated over fears of fresh Al-Shabaab attacks in Lamu,” Daily Nation, 9 July 2017.

7 Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, press statement issued 4 July 2012, following church attacks in Garissa on Sunday 1 July 2012.

8 See the article of Grüll and Wilson for more on conflicts between the language of FoRB and religion conceived as identity.

9 Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, press release on Garissa, issued 3 April 2015. Online at: http://eaclj.org/religion/13-religion-feature-articles/188-evangelical-alliance-of-kenya-eak-press-release-on-garissa.html

10 For a recent rendering of the place of Al-Shabaab in the East Africa Constellation see Anderson and McKnight 2014.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Loreen Maseno

Loreen Maseno is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Religion, Theology, and Philosophy, Maseno University. She is also a Research Fellow, Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies, University of South Africa. She was recently a Humboldt Fellow, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Her books include How Abanyole African Widows Understand Christ: Explaining Redemption Through the Propagation of Lineage and The Bible and Sociological Contours: Some African Perspectives. Essays in Honor of Professor Halvor Moxnes (with Zorodzai Dube and Elia Mligo).