They Can't Combat Christianity Intellectually - so they try to silence Christian Voices
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Rise of Violent Islam in Nigeria
ISLAMIC MILITANTS ATTACK CHRISTIANS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
DEMSA, ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA (ANS) -Mar 16/05 - Muslim militants
attacked the Christian community in Demsa, Adamawa state (northern Nigeria),
killing 36 people, destroying property and displacing an additional 3000 people,
on Friday, February 4, 2005. The Christian survivors took refuge in Mayolope
village in Taraba state.
Ann
Buwalda of Jubilee Campaign reports: "This is the second attack on
Christians in Adamawa state; two years ago, the town of Numan experienced a
religious crisis following the death of Pastor Esther Ethan Jinkai, who was
killed by a Muslim fanatic. (Pictured:
Christians fleeing Muslim violence in Adamawa. Courtesy: BBC via Jubilee
Campaign).
"Nigeria has been plagued with religious violence since the implementation
of Sharia law. Sharia was passed into law on January 27, 2000, and has been
adopted in twelve states in northern Nigeria. In February and May 2000, the
northern city of Kaduna experienced one of the worst conflicts in its
history," Buwalda said.
In an e-mail to ASSIST News Service (ANS), she adds: "About 2,000 people
were killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims over the adoption of
Sharia. In Jos, Plateau state, fighting between Muslim cattle herders and
Christian farmers resulted in the deaths of 1,000 people and the displacement of
258,000 others. It is estimated that over 10,000 people have died from religious
violence since 1999 and 800,000 others have been internally displaced."
Buwalda said violence between the Christians and Muslims has become sadly
customary to residents in certain regions of this African nation, especially
since the imposition of Islamic law (Sharia) in a
number of Nigeria's northern states.
Buwalda asks Christians to: "Please pray for all
peace-loving Nigerians who have been unfairly caught in the crossfire of this
struggle, and pray particularly that the Christian community would respond with
love and creative nonviolence to attacks by Muslim extremists. Please also pray
for peace and reconciliation in Nigeria."
NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS CONCERNED FOR PEACE AFTER NOMINATIONS TO NATIONAL CONFERENCE
DEEMED BIASED TOWARDS MUSLIMS
KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA (ANS) -Feb 3/05 - Christians in
Kaduna state, central Nigeria, have expressed concerns that inter-religious
violence may erupt again after nominations to a body formed to resolve political
tensions were biased towards Muslims.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
said in a statement that the nomination of four Muslims and two Christians was a
provocative move which could stir up religious
tensions in a state which is approximately half Muslim and half Christian.
CAN also alleged that one of the Muslim candidates, Alhaji Abdullahi Jibril, abducted
a Christian girl, Miss Rita Gajere in Birnin Gwari,
which resulted in a
very serious breach of peace between Christians and Muslims in Birnin Gwari and
that the Government knew about this.
A spokesman for CAN said: CAN Kaduna State is highly disappointed that while
Kaduna State is just settling down to some relative peace and building some
level of mutual trust and understanding, the same Government that has
contributed so much in restoring this level of confidence and peaceful
co-existence is suddenly unmindful of the reality that Kaduna State is polarised
along the volatile religious divide of Christians versus Muslims.
CAN added that it would be very hard to convince Christians there was no hidden
agenda to the talks if the nominations stood and called on the Governor to
change the nominees to better reflect the religious make up of the state.
The Governor of Kaduna State in central Nigeria, Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed Makarfi,
put forward the six candidates to represent the state at the National Political
Reform Conference.
This conference of 400 people, due to run for at least three months later this
year, is to address the structure of the Nigerian state and to work out how to
ensure sound political leadership guaranteeing equal opportunity for all
citizens. The issue of how ethnic and religious groups relate to each other is
also to be key to the conference.
Proposals from the conference are to be sent to President Obasanjo for agreement
before being passed on to parliament and state assemblies for approval.
More than 2,000 people died in violence which broke out between Christians and
Muslims in Kaduna city in 2000, following a dispute over plans by the state
government to introduce Islamic or Shari'ah law.
Stuart Windsor, National Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said: Our
contacts in Nigeria have expressed their deep concern that Christians are not
adequately represented in this important national
debate. We add our voice to theirs in calling on the Governor to ensure that
nominations to the conference are made so that Muslims and Christians have an
equal say in determining the future for Nigeria.
Reported by CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE
MUSLIMS
BURN DOWN NINE CHURCHES IN KADUNA STATE
Tuesday, April 6, 2004
NIGERIA - MUSLIMS BURN DOWN NINE CHURCHES IN KADUNA STATE
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Muslims in Makarfi
town, Kaduna State, have burned down nine churches and a police station, citing
a young Christian's desecration of the Qur'an as the excuse, according to the
UK-based Barnabas Fund.
A prominent Nigerian Christian leader, the Archbishop of Kaduna Province, the
Most Rev Dr Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, has informed Barnabas Fund of a recent
bout of blatant anti-Christian violence in Northern Nigeria.
A Barnabas Fund report states: "On Saturday evening April 3, a young
Christian fled for his life across the town of Makarfi to the police station,
where he took refuge from an angry mob of Muslims. The mob issued a demand for
his release, presumably so they could kill him, but the police refused. They
therefore set fire to the police station and went on to torch nine churches (of
at least three different denominations) and two houses of pastors. Shops were
also looted as they rampaged throughout the area. Despite the violence there
were no deaths."
Many Christians fled to other police stations for protection, but police are now
reported to have returned the region to a level of calm.
According to the report, the mob had cited as a reason for their fury, the allegation
that the fleeing young Christian had desecrated a
page of the Qur'an. However Makarfi town is where Governor Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed
Makarfi of Kaduna State lives. Violence of this degree in his hometown will be
acutely embarrassing for the Governor and according to analysis by Archbishop
Josiah Fearon it is likely that elements of the Muslim community opposed to the
Governor were responsible for Saturday's unrest.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has said that those behind the attacks were
not local.
Barnabas Fund works to support Christian communities mainly, but not
exclusively, in the Islamic world where they are facing poverty and persecution.
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