The Muslim Rights Concern, (MURIC), has accused Nigerian Christian leaders of using the United States as a tool of intimidation to pressure the Federal Government and marginalise Muslims in the country.
In a statement issued yesterday by its Executive Director, Professor Is’haq Akintola, the Islamic human rights group alleged that reports of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were surprisingly sent to the US by some leaders back home. This, he noted, is because the US is perceived as a Christian superpower, rather than to African institutions such as the African Union or ECOWAS.
According to MURIC, the move reveals a deeper agenda of neo-imperial domination and religious favoritism aimed at securing undue advantages for Christians.
“Nigerian Muslims also suffer killings, often in larger numbers, but their plight goes unreported because global narratives are controlled by a Christo-Western media”, he said.
Akintola argued that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of terrorism, noting that criminal groups often target crowded places such as churches and mosques.
“This explains why the main victims in Christian-concentrated states such as Benue and Plateau are Christians, while those in Muslim areas like Sokoto and Zamfara are Muslims.
“While about 200 churches were destroyed across the North, no fewer than 6,000 mosques were also demolished in the same region”, he stated.
MURIC further alleged that Muslims in Southern Nigeria suffer systemic marginalisation, alleging that their grievances are ignored by both state and federal authorities. It also accused sections of the Nigerian media of bias.
He said some of them sensationalised the killings of Nigerian Christians while those of Muslims are downplayed or ambiguously described.
“The media amplifies Christian deaths but trivialises Muslim casualties. Christian victims are clearly identified, but when Muslims are killed, the reports use vague terms like ‘worshippers’ or ‘audience’ ”, he stated.
MURIC described the recent reports to the US as part of an attempt to arm-twist the Nigerian government into granting what it called “undeserved political and economic favours” to Christians.
“The US has a long record of bullying Muslim nations, and Nigerian Christians are now hiding under its umbrella to achieve domination”, the group claimed.
Citing America’s support for Israel and its global military actions, Akintola questioned the moral standing of the US to judge Nigeria on human rights or religious issues.
“It is moral bankruptcy to report Nigeria to America, least of all to President Donald Trump. How can a country that funds genocidal wars sit in judgment over another”, he said.
MURIC further accused some Christian-owned media outlets of fanning religious division by excluding Muslim voices from national discussions. “Such practices undermine professionalism and fairness in journalism”, Akintola maintained.
The organisation warned that the alleged campaign could deepen divisions in the country and jeopardise peaceful coexistence.
“It is now very clear that Nigerian Muslims have become pawns in a dangerous global power game. The terrorists attack them from one side, the government marginalizes them from another, and powerful Christian nations are waiting at the centre”, he submitted.
MURIC urged the Federal Government not to yield to what it called “Christian blackmail gimmicks”, or to turn Nigerian Muslims into “guinea pigs in a dangerous experiment”.
“It is a false and divisive claim that only Christians are being killed in Nigeria. If unchecked, this narrative could render our dream of national unity and peaceful co-existence a mere illusion”, he emphasised.
