Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says terrorist reports overblown despite Christian death toll
Nigeria now risks religious war as the Islamic extremists group known as Boko Haram murders Christaisn across the country. Attempting to quell the concerns, President Goodluck Jonathan has responded with good intentions and occasional arrests, including of a terrorist leader last Friday. However, if the government is unable to stop the killing the country’s future will be at risk according to the Spectator.org.
The article notes some of the history before analyzing Boko Haram.
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in its most recent report
“Since 1999, more than 14,000 Nigerians have been killed in religiously-related violence between Muslims and Christians. The government of Nigeria continues to fail to prevent and contain acts of religiously-related violence, prevent reprisal attacks, or bring those responsible for such violence to justice.”
Muslim-dominated states in northern Nigeria also have applied Sharia law as part of their criminal codes and discriminated “against minority communities of Christians and Muslims.”
Observed State: “Violence between Christian and Muslim communities increased in several regions arising from complex factors, including economic disparity, ethnic identity, and seasonal migration patterns. Acute communal violence in the Middle Belt heightened tensions between religious groups.” Yet, “even in areas outside the Middle Belt that did not otherwise experience violence, tensions remained between Christians and Muslims.”
The growing violence is a genie that cannot easily be returned to the bottle. Noted the Commission: “The past year saw a dramatic rise in sectarian or religiously-related violence.” Post-election riots in the north against the election of Jonathan, a Christian, killed some 800 people. “Although triggered by political issues, the post-election violence quickly became sectarian. In addition, Boko Haram, a militant group that espouses an extreme and violent interpretation of Islam, has been emboldened by the climate of impunity.”
