News

Eye-for-Eye Religious Violence Blinds Nigeria

Columnist

Muslims retaliate against retaliatory attack, leaving many casualties.

Christianity Today May 1, 2004

Nigeria explodes in violence againDespite massive efforts by security officers in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, Muslims continue a deadly riot against Christians in the suburbs of the city.

As is usual in such situations, detailsaresketchy and contradictory. Police say 10 people have been killed in two days of rioting, but an eyewitness said he saw at least that many corpses in one place alone.

Nath Ikyur told Reuters that Muslims were stopping cars along Bayero University Kano Road, killing those who didn’t pledge allegiance to Islam.

“I saw at least 10 dead bodies on the BUK road,” he said. “I saw a group of five burned bodies at one point. Some of the others were cut with machetes.”

Another Nigerian corroborated this story in an interview with the Associated Press, saying drivers and passengers were forced to recite Muslim prayers. An AP reporter said she saw three women attacked with machetes at such a checkpoint, after one of the Muslims accused them of being “nonbelievers” because they wore Western-style clothing. Taxi drivers intervened before the women were killed, but they suffered head wounds.

Soldiers are preventing journalists from entering the areas of conflict, the AFP news service reports, so don’t expect too much on-site reporting for now. Meanwhile, reporters say at least 5,000 area Christians are now refugees after fleeing their homes for fear of their lives.

“Many people have been killed in Sharada, but we have not been able to bring out their bodies, because we had to look to our own lives,” Joshua Adamu told the South African news service SAPA.

It looks like the violence will get worse before it gets better. “Everywhere the hoodlums are taking laws into their own hands,” Kano’s police chief told reporters today. “They are coming in large numbers in different parts of the town.”

“There are signs that the anger is spreading to other parts of Nigeria’s Muslim north,” reports AFP.

This latest attack was sparked by a march protesting last week’s Christian attack against Muslims in Yelwa that reportedly left between 500 and 600 dead. In March, Muslims reportedly killed 1,500 Christians in attacks throughout Plateau state.

What can stop the violence? a BBC forum asks. So far, there are no responses.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Suggest links and stories by sending e-mail to weblog@christianitytoday.com

What is Weblog?

Check out Books & Culture‘s weekly weblog, Content & Context.

See our past Weblog updates:

May 11 | 10

May 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3

April 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26

April 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19

April 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12

April 8 | 7 | 5

and more, back to November 1999

Our Latest

Train Up a Village

Modern parenting can be isolating and exhausting. But in the church, raising children is a shared responsibility.

Excerpt

Kids Should Learn the Minor Prophets Too

A new children’s book series explores the neglected prophetic books and how they point to Jesus.

Where Ya From?

Leading with Excellence with Nicole Martin

Nicole Martin stops by to share some of the lessons of servant leadership she’s learned behind the pulpit, in the classroom, and in her new role with Christianity Today.

Yours, Mine, and ‘Our Father’

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus calls his divided followers to pursue unity as the family of God.

Public Theology Project

How to Get Through the Next Four Years

The nonstop news cycle will be crazy. You don’t have to be.

News

And the Word Became Accessible: Publishers Release Dyslexia-Friendly Bibles

Designer hopes a new, custom typeface will be a life-changing tool for those with reading disorders.

‘Heretic’ and the Truth That Sets Us Free

In the Hugh Grant horror movie, Latter-day Saint missionaries are entrapped in more ways than one.

The Russell Moore Show

Media and Leadership in a World on Edge

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of ‘The Atlantic,’ talks about politics, Palestine, and publishing.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube