Benin: Religious Freedom
Status*
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U.S.
Department of State Human Rights Report 1998
The Constitution provides
for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in
practice.
In August the legislature voted to establish a national day to observe
traditional religious practices, thereby affording traditionalist
beliefs a status similar to that of more established religions, such
as Christianity and Islam and implicitly recognizing them as
part of domestic culture. The designation does not convey special
status to traditional beliefs. President Kerekou, an evangelical Christian,
has been criticized in the press for public statements against certain
traditional religious practices and for expressing views that might
violate the principle of separation of church and State.
Source: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
for 1998, U.S. Department of State.
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