If a Christian cleric were shot dead, sparking violent clashes between Christian sects, there would be screaming worldwide headlines. But a Muslim cleric is killed, and Sunnis and Shia start fighting one another, and it’s business as usual. The moral equivalence crowd, however, never considers the implications of stories like these.
“Nigerian clash over cleric death,” from the BBC (thanks to Mel):
Clashes have broken out in the northern Nigerian city of Sokoto after a high profile Muslim preacher was shot dead.
Members of Sunni and Shia sects have fought a pitched battle with one of the three suspected gunmen beaten to death.
The Sunni preacher was shot on Wednesday night while travelling home by motorbike taxi from taking prayers.
The sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual head of Nigeria’s Muslims, said Mallam Umaru Dan-Maishiye, died after being shot in the head. He appealed for calm….
There has been regular friction between Sunnis and Shias in northern Nigeria, and civic leaders are meeting on how to calm tensions.
In April, the killing of a militant cleric in the city of Kano led to fighting between Islamist militants and the army….