That detail is left out of the BBC report below, as it is standard for the mainstream media to make every effort to downplay "sectarian" violence as the product of mutual "tensions," preferring to implicate organized religion, tribalism, or "extremism" in general rather than the stated intentions of one group and its scriptures (the Qur'an, that is) against another. This report shows the targeted nature of the rampage. "Muslim Attackers Kill Fifteen Christians in Nigeria," from International Christian Concern, May 7:
Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that today Muslim attackers killed 17 Christians, including the wife and three children of a pastor, and burned down several Christian homes in the village of Kurum, Bauchi State, Nigeria.
"It is not right for anyone to kill another person. Life is precious and a gift from God. Since 1999 in Bauchi state, several Christians have been killed but no one has been brought before justice. The government has to intervene. The government has to be fair to all its citizens," said Reverend Turbe Ngodem in an interview with ICC. Reverend Ngodem is the General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria in Bauchi State.
Since the introduction of Sharia law in northern Nigeria in 1999, thousands of Christians have been killed by Muslim radicals in an unrelenting series of regular attacks. The local Muslim government officials have failed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, said, "We are extremely concerned with this latest killing of Christians by Muslim attackers. We once again urge Nigerian officials to prevent the bloodshed of innocent Christians in northern Nigeria. Nigeria must end impunity for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes."
And from the BBC, "Nigeria: Deadly attack on northern village," May 7:
At least 16 people have been killed in an attack on a predominantly Christian village in northern Nigeria.
Police said late on Friday that unidentified assailants had also burnt a number of houses in the village in Bauchi state, near Tafawa Balewa.
Bauchi is in Nigeria's middle belt, where the predominantly Muslim north meets the mainly Christian south.
Presenting the symptoms as the underlying cause:
There are long-standing tensions in the area rooted in power struggles and land disputes, correspondents say.
This has caused violence in the past between indigenous Christian or animist groups, and Muslim settlers from the North.
Hundreds have died in clashes in Nigeria following national elections last month in which Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, won the presidential poll against a Muslim, Muhammadu Buhari.
The worst of the violence was in Bauchi and Kaduna states.
Islamists Slaughter Christians in Nigeria, Obama Looks the Other Way
Although Sharia law has existed in Northern Nigeria for a long time, it used to apply only to family matters such as divorce, inheritance and adoption. It was only in 1999 that the governor of the Nigerian Northern State of Zamfara, Alhaji Ahmed Sani, decided to apply Shari law. The governor instead wanted to go farther and to include flogging, stoning, amputation, beheading, and other precepts of Islamic law.. Ever since, the Northern Nigerian States have followed Zamfara's steps. Under the Sharia law, Nigerian women have been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, have been forbidden to rent houses and to travel in the same vehicles as men.
African Christians are now fearing for their lives after the recent massacres in Nigeria. Large scale violence from extremist Muslims erupted in Nigeria against the Christian population soon after the results of the country's presidential elections that took place on April 16th 2011. The outburst of violence started in the north of Nigeria, which has a predominantly Muslim majority, after the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian politician. President Jonathan defeated the other presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim and former Nigerian President, who was accused of having rigged the electoral process. Jonathan's victory represented a shift of power in the country to the largely Christian south.
Defeated candidate Buhari's Muslim supporters took to the streets chanting "changi, sai Buhari" ["Change must take place and only with Buhari"], and went on a rampage against the Christian supporters of President Jonathan. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) lamented that in just a few days, over 300 churches were burnt across the country's northern states; thousands of Christian-owned homes and business were destroyed, and at least 600 Christians were killed. Relief officials estimate that at least 65,000 people have been displaced as a result of the violence, which appears to be one of the worst outbursts of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians in the country.
The Christian Aid Mission (CAM) gives also the frightening news that, last year, more than 2,000 Christians were killed in targeted Nigerian violence -- more than in any other country in the world.
http://www.hudson-ny.org/2100/islamists-slaughter-christians-in-nigeria
Violence Claims Nearly Two Dozen Lives in Nigeria’s Bauchi State
At least 19 people have reportedly been killed near the town of Tafawa Balewa, in the Nigerian state of Bauchi. The violence took place in Borogo, a mostly Christian village where unidentified assailants also burned down a church and a number of houses.
Bauchi is in Nigeria's middle belt, where the predominantly Muslim north meets the mainly Christian south.
The attack comes after at least 500 people were killed last month in protests following the re-election of incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan. A Christian from the south, Jonathan defeated Muhammadu Buhari, a former army ruler who is popular in the Muslim north.
The worst of the violence was in Bauchi and Kaduna states.
“People in the area are saying the mastermind of the attack were members of Boko Haram,” said Abiora Ani, a journalist with the Voice of Nigeria. He said among those killed were a local pastor and all his family members.
Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group seeking the imposition of Shariah law throughout Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north.
He said the attackers, who are reported to have been many, burned churches and a number of houses. “No Muslim family was attacked in the incident,” he said.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Violence-Claims-Nearly-Two-Dozen-Lives-in-Nigerias-Bauchi-State-121439774.html
Nigeria's Christians fear backlash after bin Laden's death
Christians in northern Nigeria fear post-election violence is only going to worsen after death of bin Laden
Nigeria has erupted in yet another terrible round of violence in which hundreds of Christians were killed; hundreds of churches and Christian business were burned down or destroyed, all in the aftermath of the recent presidential election.
Nigerian's Christian President Goodluck Jonathan last month won a presidential election in a vote that has sparked rioting in the country's northern states that backed his leading opponent.
With results from all of Nigeria's 36 states, electoral commission president Attahiru Jega announced that President Jonathan was the clear winner.
President Jonathan's nearly 22.5 million votes is almost twice the number of the second-place finisher, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who won a little more than 12 million votes. President Jonathan thus avoided a runoff election by winning at least one-quarter of the vote in at least 24 states.
Now, with the death of Osama Bin Laden, Christians across northern Nigeria are bracing up for possible reprisal attacks by Muslim extremist who are opposed to Bin laden's death. My cousin woke me up last night worried that several of their church members have received anonymous text messages warning them of an impending attack due to Osama's death.
Reports are coming out across five northern states that some Muslims are planning to demonstrate the death of bin Laden. Northern Nigerian Christians have always been at the receiving end to violence when Muslim extremist vent their anger when they feel they have been offended.
For instance, in 1990, angry Muslims mobs who convinced themselves that George Bush senior was attacking Iraq because it was a "Muslim" country, and the Christians in northern Nigeria were unfortunate enough to be within striking distance.
In 2002, a Muslim protest against the proposed hosting of the Miss World Beauty Pageant by Nigeria, led to the deaths of hundreds of Christians in Kaduna state. In the same vein, a cartoon of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper led to the death of hundreds of Christians in northern Nigerian in 2006.
The recent excuse for the killing spree against Christians, this time around, is the perceived rigging of the April 16 presidential election.
As usual, there is no nexus between the majority of the victims of this orgy of violence and the reason given for it. Even a cursory glance at the quarry of this carnage would dispel any such notions that they had anything to do with manipulating the outcome of the election, other than casting their votes as a means of exercising their franchise. I must point out that a few of the sufferers to these sadistic acts who were not Christians were targeted because they were deemed to be too sympathetic to the interests of the enemy - or Christians.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/nigerias.christians.fear.backlash.after.bin.ladens.death/27952.htm
OSAMA BIN LADEN AND LIBERATION OF BIAFRA
Nigeria became independent of Great Britain on October 1960. In less than six years its Islamic north had grown so intolerant of the Christian southeast that by the close of 1966 up to May the following year they murdered a total of 100,000 Igbo/Biafrans for no other reason other than they believed and worshipped differently. On the last day of the month of May 1967 Biafrans declared their independence from Nigeria in order to preserve their ethnic people who were in danger of being exterminated by the Islamic jihadists of both north and southwest of Nigeria. But from that declaration of 30th May 1967 to January 1970, the Islamic government of Nigeria murdered an additional three million of Igbo/Biafrans in what is considered as one of the worst kind of genocidal pogroms of all time.
Biafra signed a peace treaty with Nigeria in the beginning of 1970 but ever since they, Nigeria have not ceased from killing Biafrans in this past forty years. And just this last April of 2011, the Islamic state of Nigeria killed 500 Biafrans/other Christians in a post-election violence that erupted. One important point to note here is that though these killings have taken place several times in each succeeding years but nobody had ever been prosecuted or held responsible by the Nigerian government. Therefore all Biafrans everywhere received the news of Osama bin Laden's death just like the Americans; with a renewed hope and faith. They now believe that though Biafra's freedom has been long in coming but it will surely come. They now know that soon justice will be coming the way of the millions of Biafrans who had been needlessly murdered by extreme hatred and living Biafrans will experience the euphoria and satisfaction of the first day of May. Igbo/Biafrans now know with much certainty that soon their first of May announcement will be made ending the murderous grip of tyranny and oppression that the Sharia Republic of Nigeria has had on Biafra and Biafrans and they will become free at last.
http://www.modernghana.com/news/327727/1/osama-bin-laden-and-liberation-of-biafra.html
Nigeria needs to be partioned into the muslim north and Christian and animate south, just like India, before this slaughter of nonmuslims will be stopped! If you can't live with them, then live without them!
Let us not forget what happened in Kaduna, Nigeria, after Friday prayers at the time the Miss World context was being held in Lagos. While we're not sure what the Imam said during services, enraged Moslem youth emerged from Kaduna mosques and were soon wielding sticks, daggers and knives and began setting fire to vehicles and attacking anyone they suspected of being Christian.
Personally, like Donald Trump I'd like to judge a beauty pageant. Just for the fun of it. It'd be a beautiful experience.
*** 33:21 ***
But not for Moslems, cuz there is no fun in Islam. Not even ogling scantily clad young women.
As with the mass slaughter of millions of Ibo Christians decades earlier, northern Nigeria distinguished itself that beauty pageant day.
No, the real root of such savage violence by Muslims to Christian Nigerians is due to Arab-led Islam, nothing to do with fighting over land or resources. We can see similar pattern everywhere in any non-Arab oil-rich Islamic populated or ruled countries, in SEA, in Central Asia and Africa (including the now Islamic-controlled Ivory Coast)- the Arab Muslims (that include the Saudis and Arab Iranian Mullahs and the Turkish neo-Ottomans tagging along) are trying to Arabicize these countries through Islam conquest besides targeting the oil of course. And we can see such pattern increasing under that Islam/Saudi king-bowing Caliph Hussein Obama, the suspected most dangerous Trojan horse there is!
"There are long-standing tensions in the area rooted in power struggles and land disputes, correspondents say."
yep...The Christians have the land and the Muslims want it..
I'm not blaming the victims here--but, especially if this has been gong on for years--aren't the Christians overdue to arm-up and defend themselves and their families? If they're going to be attacked anyway, how about taking out as many attackers as possible? Make these muslim savages pay a high price for coming around!
16 killed in Christian village in northern Nigeria: Police
KANO, Nigeria - At least 16 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack Friday in a Christian village in northern Nigeria beset by ethnic and sectarian violence, police told AFP.
Unidentified gunmen attacked the farming village in Bauchi state, one of the worst hit states by post election riots last month, killing 16 residents and burning 20 houses.
"There was an attack on Kurum village by unknown gunmen and from reports reaching me 16 people have been killed and 20 houses burnt in the attack," Amama Abakasanga, Bauchi state police commissioner, told AFP by telephone from Bauchi.
The area which came under attack is in Borogo local government area and along the border with violence-wracked Plateau state, whose capital Jos has been a flashpoint of sectarian unrest.
Police have deployed in the area to prevent escalation of violence in this region, notorious for clashes pitting predominantly Christian farmers and Fulani Muslim nomads.
Bauchi state is predominantly Muslim but neighbouring Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa districts are inhabited by mainly Christians of the Sayawa tribe. Muslim Fulani nomads are in the minority there but ethnic and religious tensions and animosity between the two groups have remained high.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/killed+Christian+village+northern+Nigeria+Police/4741059/story.html#ixzz1LiuNY4Md
Well, John, I understand that nowadays, there are even Hausa Christians, when there were very few before.
I argue for the right of Hausa Christians, new Arab Christians, Turkish Christians, Malay Christians, Panjabi Christians, Belochi Christians, etc. etc. to live in their homelands in security and safety.
I get sick of hearing about the terrible massacres of Christians in so many countries around the world!
In Iraq the Christians are being told to leave the country otherwise they will die!
In Egypt the churches are being burnt down and Christians murdered!
Why is this being hushed up or reported as sectarian violence etc. which makes it look like both sides are to blame!
These people must be absorbed into non-muslim countries so they can live in peace and safety!
How long before this starts to happen in the West?
Protect us, Lord Jesus!
Again, spot-on katharina!
The wahabbists and supremacist Arabs are behind all of this.