by Kyle Wisdom, IIRF deputy director
Considerable attention has been devoted to Nigeria in the past month after the US government declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to the severe threats to religion that exist there.
The designation is well deserved. Nigeria ranks seventh on the Open Doors World Watch List and has led the world in the number of Christians killed due to religious-related conflict.
The bipartisan US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been urging the United States to designate Nigeria as a CPC since 2009. USCIRF alleges that the Nigerian government has tolerated “systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.”
On November 18, popular singer Nicki Minaj headlined a US-sponsored panel at the United Nations designed to bring attention to the crisis in Nigeria. (I was present at this event, representing the IIRF.)
Reinforcing the message of that panel, three more major attacks took place in northwestern Nigeria the following week. In one of them, more than 300 students were reportedly kidnapped.
What has happened—and continues to happen—in Nigeria is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. It is primarily a security problem that the world should be pressuring the Nigerian government to address. However, misrepresenting or politicizing the problem will not help us move toward a solution.
On one hand, the Nigerian government still seems to be in denial at times. I recently watched an interview in which a government representative stated that in the last five years, 102 churches have been attacked, 177 Christians killed and 7 people abducted. One of my students in a course I am teaching is a Catholic priest from northern Nigeria. When he heard that claim, he responded, “That’s inconceivable. We have buried a couple hundred people recently in mass graves just in our own area.”
Other narratives have treated the conflict as primarily due to a competition for resources amidst climate change. It is true that Fulani herders (who are predominantly Muslims) seeking to graze cattle and Christian farmers seeking to protect their crops have had conflicts. In many cases, economic factors are driving violence. However, we should never assume that only one factor is present in a conflict. Religious and ethnic differences are also contributing to the escalation of conflict.
On the other hand, some advocates for religious freedom have sensationalized the situation, calling it “genocide.” Such claims overlook key facts. Muslims have been killed and abducted as well. Christians may be a preferred target for some Islamist terror groups, but moderate Muslims have often been targeted.
Unbalanced, sensationalist narratives can do a lot of damage in tense situations like Nigeria. They exacerbate anger on both sides and freeze people out of any reasonable middle ground, which is desperately needed in this case. We must call on the Nigerian government to take more forceful action to control the chaos, but to achieve a long-term solution, we must also work for peace, mutual understanding, and reconciliation. Otherwise, the attacks will resume as soon as the police depart.
Please join us in advocating for religious freedom and peace in Nigeria. Please also join us in rejecting actions that worsen the situation through denial or misrepresentation.