The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria has challenged religious leaders across the country, urging them to stop the misuse and distorted interpretation of sacred texts that often serve to justify gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s subordination.
The call was made in Lagos during the second annual dialogue for religious leaders focused on GBV prevention, themed: ‘Strengthening Religious Institutions in Preventing GBV.’
The event, supported by the Ford Foundation, forms part of a project aimed at fostering engagement and coordination against GBV among religious, traditional, and government leaders.
Mrs Eliana Martins, FIDA’s Country Vice President, lamented that religion, when misinterpreted, has become a tool of oppression, reinforcing patriarchal dominance and normalising violence within many Nigerian homes.
She specifically pointed to doctrines promoting men’s ‘headship’ which, she argued, are frequently abused to rationalise control and aggression in intimate relationships.
"The insistence on women’s subordination based on religious ideology fuels violence and sustains patriarchal control over women and girls," Martins stated.
She warned that this cycle, reinforced through cultural and religious socialisation, causes many women to believe gender inequality is natural and divinely ordered, making them resistant to change.
Recognising their critical role, FIDA used the dialogue as a platform for faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, and traditional faiths to exchange ideas, address misconceptions, and commit to collective action for gender justice.
Martins stressed that meaningful progress against GBV requires engaging all sectors of society, including faith communities.
Clerics at the dialogue were quick to debunk the idea that true religious teachings support violence or injustice.
Imam Abdul-Ganiyu Raji, Secretary of the NASFAT Mission Board, and Head of the Department of Islamic Studies at Markez University College, asserted that Islam holds women in high esteem and does not support any form of gender-based violence.
Speaking on women’s rights from an Islamic perspective, he highlighted that the Qur’an dedicated a whole chapter to the rights of women, including rights to education, life, inheritance, and personal property.
“A husband cannot dictate how a woman should spend her earnings, and Islam does not condone wife battery, neglect, or dehumanisation of women,” Raji stated.
He noted that many harmful practices are wrongly attributed to religion, stressing that superiority in Islam is based on knowledge and piety, not gender.
“Those who misinterpret scriptures to suit personal or cultural agendas are misleading people because Islam promotes justice, respect for women and care for the girl child.”
Similarly, Rev. Marcel Onwuka of Grace and Mercy Ministry attributed the rising GBV cases to ignorance, negative mindsets, and rigid cultural beliefs that promote inequality.
He insisted that such beliefs contradict God’s word, noting that the Bible preaches the equality of all people before God, regardless of gender.
The dialogue also addressed the pressing issue of early and forced marriages, with the Chairperson of FIDA Ikeja Branch, Mrs Nnena Eze, speaking out against the controversial trending issue surrounding Nigerian actress, Regina Daniels, and her alleged early marriage to Senator Ned Nwoko.
Eze framed the actress’s situation as a stark example of the dangers of marrying off young girls for economic reasons.
“Everyone knew the marriage was for economic benefit, and such comfort has an expiry date. Material wealth cannot replace happiness,” she argued.
Recounting her narrow escape from a forced marriage at 15, which her father luckily stopped despite the dowry being paid, Eze warned that girls forced into such unions suffer immense emotional trauma and may lose their sense of self and purpose.
She urged religious and community leaders to leverage their influence to discourage child and early marriages, maintaining that ignorance remains a major challenge.
Eze concluded that robust collaboration between faith groups, civil society, and community structures is essential to end these harmful practices in Nigeria.
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