SAMOA – A Samoan academic has warned that it could be a dangerous move to prohibit a religion in Samoa’s by law.

The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, has promised the Samoa Council of Churches that he would consider a suggestion to further entrench the culture of Christianity in the country’s constitution.

However the council want to go further and ban Islam.

The secretary general of the council Reverend Ma’auga Motu, said the country’s constitution must more clearly recognise Christianity and that the Islam religion should be banned.

Professor Iati Iati from the University of Otago said the pervasiveness of Christianity in Samoa was one of the reasons for the country’s stability, and the faith is fully integrated into the political and cultural structures.

But he said Samoa would be treading down a dangerous path to ban other faiths.

“I think the writers of the Samoa constitution were wise beyond their years and I don’t think the government should be meddling with the constitution. I think it’s pretty good as it is.”

Another New Zealand-based academic said the calls in Samoa to ban Islam stem from a lack of personal experience of the religion and ignorance fuelled by media stereotypes.

Muslims accounted for 0.03 per cent of the population of Samoa at the 2001 census.

Dr John Shaver from the University of Otago said that in places where minority groups were that small, it was easy for ignorance to spread.

“The problem is a lack of information – and when your personal experiences don’t often lead you to interactions with peaceful Muslims, then you rely on the media.

“And we know that positive examplars of minority groups in the media are capable of reducing prejudice.”

The Pacific Conference of Churches has reminded Samoan church leaders that dialoguing with other religions was a key resolution at its most recent assembly.

The general secretary of the PCC, the region’s grouping of Christian denominations, Reverend Francois Pihaatae, argued that the focus needs to be on dialogue.

“To create first that space where everybody can come in and discuss and dialogue,” he said. “We have to first look at what our faith, as Christians, is telling us.”

Pihaatae said where he lived in Fiji, there were many Muslims who were peaceful contributors to the country.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa said the country’s supreme law may be changed to recognise Christian principles and teachings, and not just as part of the constitutional preamble.

Reverend Motu, said he would go a step further and ban the religion of Islam altogether.

He said even though most Samoans are Christian, Islam posed a future threat to the country.

“We are not going too far, no,. We are wanting our own people to be prevented from this kind of influence, even though there are so many people who are good people – but still there are some dangerous people among them who might come and threaten our peace,” he said.

The constitution protects the right to practice any religion but doesn’t rule out the establishment of an official state religion.

Tuila’epa said Samoa is a Christianity-based country that goes together with Samoan cultures and traditions.

There is a small muslim population in Samoa that gathers at a mosque and there is the Samoa Muslim League based near Apia.

- PNC sources