Over 86 Dead In Recent Attack in Nigeria
Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. According to Pew Research Center, hundreds of thousands of Christians are killed every year, and many more have had their religious freedoms limited.
Why Nigeria Has Become One Of The Most Dangerous Countries For Christians[/tweetthis]
The African nation of Nigeria is one of the gravest offenders. The Christian non-profit organization Open Doors has ranked the worst countries to be a Christian. Nigeria is ranked 15.
There are three primary causes. The first is the geographic distribution of religion within the country. Christians are more prominent in the south, while Muslims control the north. Christians are treated quite poorly by Muslims in the north, according to Open Doors. The mistreatment ranges from discrimination to wholesale slaughter. Over 400 Christians have been killed this year alone.
The second cause is climate change. Changing temperature has caused extreme heat waves resulting in devastating droughts. This has increased tension between Muslim herders and Christian farmers. The battle over dwindling land usually escalates into violence. Just two days ago 86 people were killed and 50 homes destroyed in a clash.
The third issue is Islamic terrorism. The Nigerian government is riddled with corruption and has shown an inability to effectively battle extremist organizations like Boko Haram that controls sections of the country. The infamous example of 100 girls being kidnapped by the terrorist organization and being forced to renounce Christianity is only one example of the human rights violations occurring. The incidents have become so terrible that President Trump has offered military aid and specifically mentioned the persecution of Christians in Nigeria as a serious concern.
Beyond increasing the number of security forces, the Nigerian government has not announced steps to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians in the nation.