Developing an Original Media Literacy Framework for Religious Communication Contexts in Northern Nigeria

Media literacy frameworks developed for secular, Western educational contexts do not adequately address the distinctive epistemological challenges of media evaluation in deeply religious communities where religious authority figures serve as information validators and religious texts are ultimate facticity standards. This study developed an original media literacy framework for religious communication contexts in northern Nigeria, where Islamic knowledge authority structures shape information evaluation in ways not captured by conventional media literacy models. A participatory framework development methodology was employed across three stages. Stage one conducted an epistemological audit through 40 in-depth interviews with Islamic scholars (ulama), community leaders, and digital media practitioners in Kano, Sokoto, and Maiduguri to map the actual information evaluation processes used in these communities. Stage two applied systematic analysis of existing media literacy frameworks (NAMLE, Media Literacy Europe, UNESCO Media Literacy Framework) to identify their inadequacies for Islamic community contexts. Stage three co-designed the framework through two cycles of participatory workshops involving 28 community stakeholders and media literacy specialists. The original Northern Nigeria Religious Media Literacy Framework (NNRMLF) proposes five literacy principles specifically adapted for Islamic community contexts: Islamic source credibility assessment adapted to include digital source evaluation, fitna awareness (recognising and resisting divisive content), hadith verification methodology applied to digital information verification, community ijma as collective verification practice, and digital knowledge stewardship as religious duty. The NNRMLF was piloted in three community education settings, achieving significant pre-post knowledge improvement. It constitutes a culturally grounded original contribution to media literacy theory.

Keywords: media literacy, Islamic communities, Northern Nigeria, religious communication, theoretical framework