The Silent Genocide

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has completely taken over the media. One of the biggest religious battles of our modern time, this conflict has been escalating this summer to what could almost be considered the third world war. Whilst we cannot ignore the role that politics and historical factors play, we mustn't forget religion is a source of conflict all over the world, one very under-acknowledged example being the largely silent genocide in Nigeria.

Christians all over Nigeria have been persecuted since the turn of the 21st century, with an estimate of 125,000 Nigerian christians killed by persecutors such as the group Boko Haram in recent decades.

What is Boko Haram? They are known to be a group of jihadist, militant terrorists founded by Mohammed Yusuf, a charismatic Salafist preacher with the initial intent to ‘purify’ islam in Nigeria, blaming past corruption on Western influences. This terrorist group views Christianity and all western ideology as sin.

Christianity, a religion which at its best evangelises peace and community, is being violently oppressed through mass murder, suicide bombings, armed assault and kidnapping. This, however, is not a defense of the christian religion but rather of human rights and peace above all else. Over 18,000 churches have been attacked to the point of destruction. Celebrations of life, funerals, and baptisms, are being bombarded with violence and massacre. Recent figures show an average of 30 Christians being killed every single day and 4,337 Christians abducted in the state of Kaduka in the past five years. But one of the most horrific examples of this is the abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok 2014. Whilst most of these Christian girls were preparing for their final exams, Boko Haram militants, disguised in military uniforms, stormed the school, violently loading the girls onto trucks and drove them into the vast Sambisa forest. 

Although 57 of these girls managed to escape, jumping off the trucks in the dark. Nevertheless, it is reported that several of the girls were forced to convert to Islam and were married off to Boko Haram fighters, some forced to have children at a terribly young age. To this day around 90 of the girls are still missing. 

With 125,000 christians and 60,000 moderate muslims assassinated since the emergence of Boko Haram, whose ultimate goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government, it is essential to shed light on the well known fact that history repeats itself. Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Israel and Palestine and other conflicts that go unrecognised such as this one, all stem largely from power hungry figures who use religion and ideology as a veil for their own personal political motives. We cannot forget religion isn’t the true villain of the story, we are.

Carmen C (Year 13)