U.S. Advises Nigerian Government To Act On Sharia, Alleges Christians Are Arrested For Wearing Crosses, Churches Burned – SIXT-MEDIA LANE
U.S. Tells Nigeria To Do More On Sharia, Alleges Christians Arrested For Wearing Crosses, Churches Burned
Senior United States officials have criticised the Nigerian government over the continued “persecution” of Christians, saying authorities still have “more work to do” regarding the application of Sharia law in parts of northern Nigeria while alleging that churches are being burnt and people arrested simply for wearing crosses.
The comments were made on Wednesday during a plenary session in the United States monitored by SaharaReporters, where lawmakers discussed religious persecution and security challenges in Nigeria.
Speaking during the session, Representative Chris Smith commended U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, for his engagement on Nigeria, particularly on issues affecting Christian communities.
“Secretary Walz, thank you for your leadership on Nigeria. You are one of the few people I know who was deployed there to try to help protect those who are being slaughtered, including the Christians. Yes, Muslims get killed too, if they speak out. Christians get targeted because of the infidels, and the radical Islamic belief is, you deserve to die,” Smith said.
“And whether it be Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa, or the Fulani, we need to do more, and you have taken the lead on that, and you might want to speak to that if you would, because I think Nigeria is one of those cases where if the government gets serious, and I mean really serious, they can come off the CPC designation.”
Responding, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Waltz, said the administration was taking allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria “very seriously.”
“Well, thank you, Representative Smith, and thank you for your long history of taking these issues on, and actually getting out there on the ground to see them firsthand, rather than opining from D.C.
“And I will say, I have to give credit where credit’s due. Secretary Guterres has taken on the issue in a meaningful way of not just peacekeepers, but it’s often local vendors being paid by the U.N. who are conducting this type of abuse on Nigeria. Yes, we are taking the persecution of Christians very seriously,” he said.
“I have to say I did not have Nicki Minaj on my dance card, but to have her with her global following at the UN to put a spotlight on this issue was a real honor, and I think it’s one of the things the UN can do well in terms of having that global platform and having the entire world right there in New York. And we’ve seen the Nigerian government move as a response to the president’s attention, our attention, her attention, and others on the issue.
“They’re cooperating with us more than they were on counterterrorism. They’re cooperating in terms of their security force capacity. They still have some work to do, frankly, in terms of the Sharia law that is in place in many of these local provinces, and make no mistake, churches are being burned, pastors are being executed, people are being arrested literally for just wearing a cross around their neck, and the Christian religion is the most persecuted religion in the world right now.
“And this administration, and I as its representative at the UN, are taking it incredibly seriously in every action that we can.”
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