What is happening in Nigeria?

Growing religious chaos, the rise of Boko Haram, and how we can help

This is an article I had published at my church earlier this week:

On Christmas morning 2011, Bay Area residents woke up to a beautiful day eclipsed by the excitement of their children, many of whom were probably up at dawn, counting down the minutes on the clock before it would permit them to wake up the rest of the family. Presents were torn open, breakfasts were cooked, and thousands left the house for church services to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. It was just another passing celebration in a community that thrives on peace and stability.

That peace though, is not there for everyone. Just hours before the sun rose over Brentwood and not long after the gifts had been placed under the Christmas trees, terror struck a community across the ocean. A powerful bomb had ripped into the St. Theresa Catholic Church on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, and turned what should have been a joyous occasion into a bloodbath. Windows of the building were blown out, cars were in flames, and by the time the smoke cleared out, dozens of people lay dead. Even with so much destruction, the carnage was not enough for the attackers. Shortly after the massacre, a series of blasts and gunfire struck churches in several other Nigerian cities, leaving more victims and bringing even more fear to the people. Churchgoers were not the only ones targeted. The attacks included a suicide bomber who detonated a car packed with explosives beside a federal police station in the north of the country, striking at the central government’s authority.

While most of Nigeria mourned with the Christian community, a proud claim of responsibility emerged from its far flung borders that straddle the Sahara Desert. Boko Haram – a band of Al-Qaeda inspired extremists whose name translates into “western education is sacrilege” – accepted the killings as their work and warned of more to come. The threats were not to be taken lightly, since the Christmas day bombings were only the latest attacks by the group, which first grabbed headlines in 2009 when its leaders triggered an armed uprising that was quickly crushed by the Nigerian security forces. A year later, it re-emerged and began assassinating government officials and Muslim clerics through assassins on motorbikes. Christmas 2010 saw serial bombings in the flashpoint city of Jos and by the end of 2011 Nigeria as a whole had seen an unprecedented number of attacks at the hands of terrorists. One of their most notable accomplishments last year was moving onto attacks and methods that had previously only been seen in places with a strong militant presence, such as Iraq, Pakistan, and areas of North Africa. A car bomb that blew up the United Nations Headquarters in Abuja was part of this feat.

Violence has not abated in 2012. In January Boko Haram claimed nearly 250 victims, including 185 killed in a ghastly siege of Nigeria’s second largest city, Kano, that stunned not only the Nigerian people, but the global media and the international community. Following in the style of the 2008 hotel attacks in Mumbai, India, the Kano rampage outstripped them in lethality and took its place as one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks since September 11^th, 2001. Furthermore, it adds to what is becoming one of the greatest enigmas of the new decade: why Nigeria?

Populated by some 160 million citizens, Nigeria is the largest country in Africa. Split roughly down the middle between Muslims and Christians, it has been marred by religious strife in recent years as fault lines develop between the two faiths. The emergence of Boko Haram’s murderous activities was preceded by the establishment of Sharia Law (the Islamic moral and penal code) in the north of the country, which has strained not only national unity, but government power. Although put in place to ease religious tensions, the establishment of Sharia only seems to have intensified extremism – with calls by Boko Haram’s leaders to implement the governance across all of Nigeria and beyond, as well as attacks on churches, security forces, and government institutions in the mainly Christian south. Christians, for their part, have retaliated with threats of vigilantism that have already culminated into deadly riots, street protests, and an attack on an Islamic school in Benin City that left the building on fire. Security forces have also been marked by activist groups for allegedly committing flagrant human rights violations in their campaign to stop Boko Haram. The most well-known example of this is the death of the group’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, who was captured after the short but bloody 2009 uprising and killed during a transfer from military to police custody. While the insurgents and some rights groups claim he was executed, the government maintains he was attempting to escape and that deadly force was necessary.

With Nigeria’s security deteriorating, many people of faith are bound to be concerned and its important to remember that as global-minded Christians we are capable of shining a light into the darkness that Boko Haram is casting over the region. To start with, we can pray. God knows us all better than any other and will use our willingness and commitment to impact the world to his advantage if it is needed. Outside of our churches we can share the news about Nigeria with our neighbors, Christian or not, and ask them to take the time to educate themselves about the more frightening side of our vast world. In Northern California and beyond, we can reach out to the Muslim community and show them how determined Bay Area Christians are to stand in solidarity with the Nigerian people. Almost certainly, the response will be one that desires to do the same.

Lastly, the suffering that is spreading through Nigeria’s states and cities presents a unique opportunity for Christians to rally their faith together as one. Few who follow Jesus Christ and desire to live on earth like he did could look at the gutted, bombed-out remains of the St. Theresa Church and care to differentiate between the preferences and varied aspects of our faith.

If you would like to learn more about what is happening in Nigeria and are interested in finding ways to help, please contact Corey Hunt through his email address: unitedworld.ch[at]gmail.com. Corey is a freelance journalist who has served with the NGO “International Volunteer Headquarters” in Nepal.

Now here’s a border to cross

I saw this on Youtube today…a bus ride from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to China’s western Xinjiang province. The views are spectacular and somewhat reminiscent of my 2009 visit to Nepal, except in a region that is even more isolated from westerners.

 

The travelers who put this video together used footage from a trip they apparently took back in 1992, so its possible and likely that some of the customs and laws have changed since then. If (when) I get the chance to go to Pakistan, I’d like to make a similar video that reflects the current decade and international events.

The battle for Syria spills into Lebanon

Supporters and opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad shot it out with each other on Saturday, dragging the nearly year-long uprising in Syria across the border. Several people were killed before the Lebanese Army managed to intervene.

TRIPOLI: Three people died and 23 were wounded during fierce clashes on Saturday between Lebanese Sunni Muslims hostile to Syria’s regime and Alawites who support it, a Lebanese security official said.

“A Sunni and an Alawite were killed and 23 people were wounded in clashes that continued since Friday between people from the neighbourhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh” in the northern city of Tripoli, the official told AFP.

A 17-year-old girl died of her wounds later.

Ten soldiers were among those wounded in the fighting, among them a sergeant whose wounds were critical, the official added.

The two sides fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other in the bloodiest clashes since last June when six people were killed in the wake of demonstrations against the Syrian government.

Hezbollah — one of Assad’s biggest supporters — has not involved itself in any of these clashes yet. That could change though as tensions grow grow in Lebanon in light of the growing reality that Assad’s days in power could be numbered.

Hero from Tehran

In a world where religious fundamentalists are taking power in Egypt and threatening the people they govern in Iran, some brave women have stepped forward to confront them.

Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani is one of these women. Her determination to stand up for women’s rights in light of the outrageous actions taken by theocratic regimes to curb them were enough to get her banned from returning home to Iran. Despite this though, thousands of people all over the world, including many Iranians, have come to her defense. I encourage you to like her page on Facebook and take part in the discussion…or thank her for her courage on Twitter.

You are a hero, Golshifteh. With your actions you are reminding the most ignorant and hateful of people that they do not have the right to control you or any other woman. You are your own person and have every right to reject their insane beliefs.

By the way, my fellow American readers — you may know Golshifteh from the movie “Body of Lies”, which stars Russel Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. She is the first Iranian to star in a Hollywood film and, in my opinion, did a great job playing “Aisha”, a nurse from Amman, Jordan.

Meet the insurgents

Al-Jazeera released an excellent documentary this month on the conflict in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province. In it, one of the network’s journalists is given rare access to some of the commanders and key fighters of the groups that make up the insurgency…including one who identifies himself as “Baloch Khan.”

 

I watched this documentary after writing my previous post about some of my predictions for 2012. As more news comes in, it is reinforcing my thoughts that the situation in Balochistan is going to be one of the year’s big events, possibly even eclipsing the Taliban-related headlines.

2012′s headlines (maybe)

When I woke up Friday morning and scrolled through the morning news I came upon an article that was published on “TheSpec”, a Canadian news and commentary website. It was entitled “Stories missed in 2011 may be hits in 2012.” I read through it and found myself agreeing that a lot of the stories mentioned could end up taking a bigger role in the headlines we will all be reading in a year that is poised to be eventful.

Balochistan is a region that reaches from Pakistan into Iran and Afghanistan.

One conflict TheSpec mentioned was the ongoing violence in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, which has seen militant attacks by ethnic separatists intensify as the Taliban insurgency further north begins to fade. This predication — that Balochistan and the battles taking place inside of it could take more headlines next year — are already beginning to come true. On Friday evening, a powerful car bomb in Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, killed 13 people outside the home of a former government minister. Shortly after, the Baloch Liberation Army — one of the main militant groups operating in the region — claimed the attack as its first-ever suicide bombing. If confirmed, that would mark a serious escalation of the insurgency…which already stepped up its attacks a few months back when another bomb devastated a hotel south of Quetta.

Another issue the article takes up are the drug cartel battles that have rocked Mexico these last few years. The author points out the rising violence SOUTH of Mexico, in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. I agree that this is a growing problem, but it should also be noted that violence along the border between Mexico and the United States is actually falling. Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez are nowhere near as dangerous as they used to be and most of the killings and the gruesome ways they are perpetrated have moved south into Mexico’s heartland. In the meantime, Honduras and the other countries in “The Northern Triangle” have become some of the most violent places on earth. Even further south, Venezuela is deteriorating into levels of violence 4 or 5 times that of Iraq, even as neighboring and war-weary Colombia finds itself closer to peace.

There are other issues mentioned too, including the military build-up and rivalry between India and China, battles on the Thai-Cambodia border, and the fate of the Euro. All of these are growing problems, and any of them could become in the next big news alert in the months ahead. It will be interesting to see how things go in 2012.

Crawling to victory

Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad remains in power, still surrounded by a hardcore security apparatus that appears ready to go to any length to preserve his rule. Those lengths continue to include mass murdering Syrians — a tactic that was employed several dozen times on Friday, when some of the year’s biggest protests erupted across the country as the Arab League pushed on with a useless monitoring mission to herd the Assad regime into complying with its demands.

Despite all this, Syrians have shown the world their dedication. After taking to the streets in March they have continued their anti-regime demonstrations for the rest of 2011 — nearly 10 months later — bringing the year to a close with a show of strength and propelling their country into a new year that might be remembered as the year the murderous Assad Dynasty finally came to an end.

That end needs to come soon…because Assad might end up ruling over cities with nothing left but ruins and dead bodies. As he refuses to let go of his regime and the protesters refuse to go back to the old days of his rule, something will have to give eventually. I cannot say for sure that Assad will fall, but I CAN say that the world will be a better place if the protesters — with whatever flaws they may have — can emerge victorious.

It has all come down to this

On Wednesday night I recorded my first broadcast edition of this website. My subject of choice was Iraq, having observed the closing ceremonies for US-led operations there on TV just hours earlier.

A few years ago, I remember hearing about the horrific violence in Iraq regularly, on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, and feared a day like December 15th, 2011, could never come. I had hope for the Iraqi people though and I am proud to say I was not the only one who felt that way, in spite of all the negativity. Christopher Hitchens was one such person who believed that Iraq was not lost…and he was right.

Shortly after the Iraqi people took control of their country, Hitchens passed away due to an 18-month struggle with throat cancer. His death ended a life of tremendous accomplishment and leaves behind a legacy of inspiration. As I write this, that inspiration reaches through to me.

Conclusion

A few days ago I returned to San Francisco and made the decision that I would like to conclude my Mexico travels. With a need to replenish my bank account and focus on other world events, I felt this was necessary. The trip has given me 6 months of adventure and new friendships that I will be enjoying in the future.

Despite my relocation, I will be returning to Tijuana a couple of times in January to finish up some of my work…and to buy some of my friends a farewell bottle of taquila.

Back to the old days

Prior to 2001, the Taliban government of Afghanistan regularly persecuted Shiite Muslims and treated them as lesser human beings. Those in the western hemisphere who have nominally paid attention to the region and the Shia of Afghanistan might remember their suffering in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, as well as the movie of the same name.

In the past 10 years, Afghan Shiites have largely escaped the vicious sectarian violence that has gripped neighboring Pakistan, which has found itself faced with suicide bombings, massacres, and target killings that rival the conflict in Iraq — when that country was faced with the worst of its problems, between 2006 and 2008. The extremists, though, have decided to bring the atrocities into the mosques of Afghanistan and remind the Shia of their “heretic” status.

The aftermath of a suicide bombing at the gates of a Shia shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated a belt packed with explosives at the entrance to a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing scores of people and wounding well over a hundred others as ceremonies commemorating the Ashoura holiday were underway. Moments later, another blast went off next to a mosque in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, leaving four people dead. Now, a Sunni extremist group that has been behind much of Pakistan’s sectarian violence is claiming responsibility, adding an even more bizarre angle to an already disturbing event.

From the Guardian:

The unprecedented sectarian attack which killed 55 Shia worshippers in Kabul is likely to have been the work of  al-Qaida or a group closely associated with it, security sources and analysts believe.

A spokesman for an obscure Pakistani extremist group called Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi claimed responsibility in a phone call to Radio Mashaal – a Pashto language radio station.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi is a small faction based in Pakistan’s tribal area and is considered an even more radical offshoot of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, (LeJ), a murderous anti-Shia group founded in 1996. Both groups act as surrogates for al-Qaida.

The Taliban was quick to distance itself from Tuesday’s bombing and the Afghan Taliban has generally avoided sectarian violence. The Pakistani Taliban, however, has its roots in anti-Shia violence, and LeJ acted as the training ground for its leader, Hakimullah Mehsud.

Sectarian violence is not something that Afghanistan needs right now. Afghans are a proud people and need to be strong enough to keep the ugly hatred of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi well outside of their borders.