Islamic clerics write U.S., say terrorists not targeting Christians for attacks

Some Islamic scholars under the Ulama Forum in Nigeria have written to the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to debunk the position of some American senators who linked the killings in Nigeria to attacks on Christians.

The clerics, in the letter, countered the allegation of systematic targeting of Christians in the country.

The letter, which was obtained by The Star on Monday, was dated July 22, 2022.

The clerics, in the letter jointly signed by the convener of the Forum and its secretary, Aminu Muhammad and Engr Bashir Aliyu, respectively, said the position of the five US senators lamenting that Christians were the primary targets of insecurity in the country was ill-informed.

They further argued that the conflicts ravaging Nigeria affected more Muslims than Christians.

“We believe that wrongdoing anywhere by whoever is condemnable, unacceptable, and intolerable in all civilised societies without exception.

“We solicit your good office and urge the attention of the United States Senate be drawn to the fact that the abhorred killings going on in Nigeria are acts of criminality affecting all manner of victims, but in truth, more Muslims have suffered than Christians.

“More Muslims have been killed and their houses and property burnt and destroyed in the Northeast and Northwest by insurgents and bandits, and more Muslims have been displaced internally and rendered refugees in neighboring countries.

“The five Senators seem to have reached hasty conclusions and made wrong judgement on a sensitive matter relying on merely isolated incidences to indict the Nigerian government as apparently supporting such acts as official policy,” the clerics stated.

They, however, urged Blinken to thoroughly investigate the matter before taking any action.

The Star