Deliberately Insulting Religious Values Of Others and Saying “Let God Fight for Himself” Is Hypocrisy and Anti-National

By KEMI KASUMU

Being patriotic means recognising that Nigeria belongs to people of different faiths, ethnicities and cultures. A person does not have to accept another person’s religious beliefs, but they should respect that person’s right to hold them. The path to a peaceful Nigeria is therefore not religious mockery, provocation or selective tolerance. It is mutual respect, responsible expression, dialogue and equal treatment. God does not need human beings to defend His existence or power. But human beings do need to defend peace, dignity, justice and peaceful coexistence.

Religious freedom is one of the important foundations of a peaceful and democratic society. In a country as diverse as Nigeria, where Muslims, Christians and adherents of traditional religions live together, respecting one another’s beliefs is not merely a matter of courtesy; it is essential to national peace and unity.

It is therefore troubling when individuals deliberately ridicule, insult or provoke the religious beliefs and sacred values of others and then defend their actions by saying, “Let God fight for Himself.” Such an argument misunderstands the nature of religious respect and peaceful coexistence.

God does not need human beings to defend His power. However, believers have a responsibility to protect the dignity of their faith, just as they have a responsibility to respect the faith of others. Telling people not to object when their sacred beliefs are deliberately insulted is not necessarily tolerance. It can become an excuse for provocation and disrespect.

Freedom of expression is not a licence for deliberate provocation

Freedom of expression is important in any democratic society, but responsible freedom requires consideration for the rights and dignity of other people. Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to manifest one’s religion through worship, teaching, practice and observance.

This means that a Muslim should be free to practise Islam, a Christian should be free to practise Christianity, and people of other faiths should equally be able to practise their religions without intimidation or deliberate provocation.

The same principle should apply to criticism. People may disagree with religious teachings, question doctrines or engage in legitimate intellectual debate. But deliberately insulting what another person considers sacred does little to advance serious discussion. Instead, it can create anger, mistrust and unnecessary conflict.

Provocation can damage national unity

Nigeria already faces numerous challenges, including insecurity, poverty, unemployment, political disagreements and ethnic tensions. Deliberately introducing religious provocation into this environment is irresponsible.

Religious tension can quickly spread beyond the original disagreement. A statement made by one person can be interpreted as an attack on an entire religious community. Before long, people who had nothing to do with the original dispute may become involved.

This is why responsible citizens, religious leaders, journalists, political actors and social-media users should be careful about what they say and publish.

Recent efforts by Nigerian Muslim and Christian leaders to promote interfaith peace demonstrate the importance of dialogue and mutual respect. More than 50 Christian and Muslim leaders signed an interfaith peace accord in Abuja in August 2026, stressing religious harmony and rejecting hate speech and intolerance.

“Let God fight for Himself” misses the point
Those who use the expression “let God fight for Himself” may argue that God is powerful enough to defend Himself. From a theological perspective, believers may indeed have complete faith in God’s power.

But the issue is not whether God needs human protection.

The issue is whether human beings should deliberately hurt, humiliate or provoke other human beings by attacking what they hold sacred.

If someone deliberately insults another person’s parents, culture, ethnicity or national identity, telling the offended person that they should simply remain silent because “God will fight for Himself” would hardly be regarded as a reasonable approach to social relations.
Religious beliefs deserve the same consideration.

Tolerance must be mutual

Tolerance should not mean that one group is allowed to insult another while the offended group is expected to remain silent. Genuine tolerance requires mutual restraint.

A Christian should be able to defend Christianity without insulting Islam. A Muslim should be able to defend Islam without insulting Christianity. Traditional religious practitioners should equally be treated with dignity.

Nigeria’s constitutional framework prohibits religious discrimination and protects freedom of religion, while also recognising the importance of national integration.

Therefore, the objective should not be to silence legitimate debate. Rather, it should be to create an environment where disagreement does not become hatred and where religious differences do not become excuses for provocation.

A patriotic responsibility

Anyone who deliberately insults the religious values of millions of Nigerians should understand that the consequences may go far beyond the individual involved. Such conduct can deepen divisions and make peaceful coexistence more difficult.

That is why deliberately provoking religious communities should be condemned regardless of who is responsible or which religion is being targeted.

Being patriotic means recognising that Nigeria belongs to people of different faiths, ethnicities and cultures. A person does not have to accept another person’s religious beliefs, but they should respect that person’s right to hold them.

The path to a peaceful Nigeria is therefore not religious mockery, provocation or selective tolerance. It is mutual respect, responsible expression, dialogue and equal treatment.

God does not need human beings to defend His existence or power. But human beings do need to defend peace, dignity, justice and peaceful coexistence.

And anyone who deliberately attacks the sacred values of others while demanding that the offended should simply “let God fight for Himself” risks turning religious freedom into a one-sided privilege rather than a shared responsibility. That is not genuine tolerance; it is hypocrisy, and in a fragile multi-religious society, it can become deeply anti-national.