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Pam later told Vanguard that the president's outburst didn't do much to boost confidence in government-sponsored peace efforts. "The same people who cooked up the crises in Plateau State have been going to him and deceiving him by telling him all kinds of lies," he said. "This is the first time I am seeing a leader abusing a pastor, an ordained man of God."

Vanguard reports that an Islamic leader "had his own share of the president's temperament" when he expressed his concerns that the government wasn't doing enough.

Meanwhile, the Kano morgue is overflowing with bodies. "The violence subsided in many districts on Thursday although police barred access to suburbs where fighting was still raging," Reuters reports. There's no doubt, however, that peace is far from returning to the area.

More on the Kano riots:

• Security forces deploy across Nigeria | Security forces deployed in cities across Nigeria on Thursday to prevent the latest outbreak of sectarian violence from spreading through Africa's most-populous nation (Associated Press)
  
  
• Nigerian Muslims recount horror of attack | Hafsat Garba wept as she recounted how heavily armed Christian militiamen, stripped to the waist and wearing charms on their arms, invaded her home town (Reuters)
  
  
• In pictures: Kano riots (BBC)
  
  
• Thousands seek Nigeria sanctuary | Some 22,000 people have sought shelter in police stations in the northern Nigerian city of Kano (BBC)
  
  

Coming extractions
Regular Weblog readers will notice that something's been missing this week—all those neatly categorized links of religion stories from English-speaking media around the world. Unfortunately, time pressures mean we've had to wait until today to compile these links. Check here for our massive collection of links galore later today. In the meantime, here's a few stories to get you started.

Mass. gay marriage:

• Federal bid to overturn SJC fails | A federal judge yesterday rejected a bid to halt gay marriages in Massachusetts, ruling that the state's highest court didn't exceed its authority last November when it ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Judge denies bid to stop gay marriages | A federal judge Thursday rejected a last-minute bid by conservative groups to block the nation's first state-sanctioned gay marriages from taking place in Massachusetts next week (Associated Press)
  
  
• Gay marriage appeal moves through federal courts | Since the state's highest court legalized gay marriage nearly six months ago, every legal maneuver to clarify, delay or block same-sex weddings has been rejected (Associated Press)
  
  
• Gay marriage opponents see fight getting tougher | Setback likened to Roe v. Wade (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Survey: Gay marriages to be sought in 133 communities | Bay State gay and lesbian couples will seek marriage licenses in at least 133 Massachusetts cities and towns in the weeks and months after same-gender matrimony becomes legal on Monday, according to an informal survey released yesterday by two gay rights groups (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Boston adopts stricter stand on gay outsiders | The city will accept a couple's word, and not require proof of residency, officials said (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Also: Boston bars out-of-state same-sex marriages | The City of Boston will not issue marriage licenses to out-of-state same-sex couples when gay marriage becomes legal in Massachusetts next week (The New York Times)
  
  

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May (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48