SW News: The state department should be urged to include Nigeria on its annual list of nations that violate religious freedom, known as the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), according to a resolution that New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith introduced on Tuesday.
The resolution also requests the appointment of a special representative to address regional human rights abuses.
The resolution, which is co-sponsored by Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar and Arkansas Republican Rep. French Hill, will demonstrate American support for religious freedom around the globe, particularly in Nigeria. “Last year alone, 5,014 Christians were killed in Nigeria — accounting for nearly 90% of Christian deaths worldwide as well as 90% of Christian kidnappings across the globe,” Smith said in a press release.
“The Biden administration must act immediately and re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern to mitigate this alarming threat to religious liberty.” Despite widespread human rights abuses against Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria, such as murders, and kidnappings, the US State Department removed Nigeria from its CPC list under the Biden administration in 2021 and kept the nation off the list once more in 2022.
According to Open Doors’ World Watch List, “Christians continue to be brutally attacked in Northern Nigeria. Boko Haram, Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants, and other armed bandits have conducted devastating raids on Christian communities. The government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians' rights have been carried out with impunity.”
If Christianity condones retaliation, a fatal religious conflict would have long since broken out in Nigeria.
The numbers are concerning. According to a 2021 assessment from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Nigerian Islamic radicals killed an estimated 43,000 Christians in 12 years (2009-2021). Around 10 million people were relocated to the North during the same period. As many as 2,000 Christian schools were destroyed, and 29,000 Muslims were killed. According to the report, the Muslims were killed as retaliation for their friendships with Christians, whom Jihadists consider to be unbelievers. Unfortunately, none of those guilty of these crimes have been apprehended or charged as of yet, which gives them more courage to carry out further attacks. Additionally, the government also abandons the families of the deceased victims as well as the living victims.