Monrovia – The former President of the Liberia Council of Churches, Bishop Kortu Brown, has stressed the need for authorities of the Liberia National Police to accelerate the ongoing investigation into the alleged provocation and assault incident involving two of its officers and a Fula Woman.
By Obediah Johnson
On Wednesday, July 23, two separate videos went viral on the social media showing a distressed woman wearing a hijab resisting arrest while clutching her child and cooking the capital and beyond.
The footages were displayed confrontation between police officers — accompanying a team from the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) on a power theft probe — and a woman later identified as Zainab Bah escalated into a chaotic scuffle. In the video, Zainab is seen throwing chair and what appeared to be soup at one of the officers before being overpowered.
Her hijab was forcibly pulled off in the process, sparking immediate backlash from the country’s Muslim community. The moment, seen by thousands online, has come to symbolize more than just a botched arrest — it has become a rallying cry for justice, dignity, and respect for religious identity.
Speaking in interview with reporters at his offices in Brewerville, outside Monrovia on July 25, 2025, Bishop Brown observed that though the swift efforts applied by the police to launch a probe is welcoming, the LNP must not delay in releasing to the public the outcome of the investigation.
He acknowledged the smart move made by Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman to calm the situation and prevent chaos when he apologized to the Fula Woman and the Muslim Community during the protest which characterized the incident.
Bishop Brown claimed that the incident clearly shows that Liberians are living with “suspicion about one another.”
He observed that religious crises are most often fueled by minor incidents and as such, citizens, including religious leaders, should be mindful of instigating the incident between the LNP officers and the Fulani Muslim woman.
Politicizing the incident
Bishop Brown maintained that it does not augur well for false interpretations of the
Incident in the public.
He warned citizens, especially politicians and religious leaders, against politicizing the incident.
He said though he does not intend to justify the peaceful protest staged by the Fula and Muslim communities in Liberia without obtaining a permit, the protest was “spontaneous” and only intended to call attention.
Bishop Brown termed as “good” the manner and form in which the police acted to prevent the protest from escalating to violence.
He emphasized that the drawing of perceptions or conclusion comparing the involvement of Christian and Muslim leaders in incidents involving members from their religions must be discouraged by all well-meaning Liberians.
He stressed that Liberians must have a genuine conversation against injustices regardless of who is involved.
“This is not about politics. Just one incident can turn everything around. And so, government should not jump with reconciliation. We should tamper our speech with tolerance; there should be no Muslim or Christian sentiments because, nobody benefit from violence.”
Bishop Brown also discouraged the threatening or call for the application of the rule of law with violence.
Bearing greatest responsibility
He emphasized that the sustenance peace and stability in Liberia rest on the shoulders of Liberians.
“We appeal for calm and I think all Liberians including religious leaders should give the police the chance to investigate. We don’t know the fact or the full story. And so, let’s wait for the conclusion of the police report.”
He said citizens should be mindful of stirring confusion which ignite over a decade of civil conflict in Liberia.
“The 15 years civil war in Liberia was not about of a group of people fighting us; it was we fighting among ourselves. We must keep the peace. Our brothers and sisters in the Christian and Muslim communities-all of us should remain calm and wait for the report to know what happened and how it happened.”
