Kaduna, Nigeria - Seventeen years ago, riots here marked the beginning of religious conflict within Nigeria. As discontent between the Northern Muslims and Southern Christians came to an all time high, the anger and religious differences was manifested as riots that lead to the death of thousands (Reynold).
In a world where religion tears people apart instead of uniting them, it is important to understand why religious conflicts occur and their effects. The African country of Nigeria is a perfect example of a religious divide. Filled with a long history of colonialism and interference from European influence, Nigeria is faced with conflict between the non-native religions, creating conflict where none previously existed. With the world’s largest two religions, Islam and Christianity, dominating the region, religious strife is inevitable. The United States is going through its own issue with religious tolerance caused by the latest presidential election. As such, it is imperative that it learns from other countries that already face this sensitive issue such as Nigeria to learn how to combat religious intolerance.
Africa has a long history of colonialism by European countries.The introduction of the Catholic religion to the indigenous groups began to increase the variety of religions on the continent (Kalu). At the same time, the Maghrib, countries of northwest Africa, were all Islamic and spread their religion as they conquered land Kalu). This created a larger range of religions trying to coexist within the continent. Once the era of imperialism came to an end, European countries hastily left Africa, leaving behind boundaries that did not respect the numerous religions within the continent (Reynolds). This is clear in the ongoing civil war in Nigeria. The inter-religious tensions first began after the British had left, unifying two of their territories that practiced different religions (Peel). The Islamic groups originally enjoyed political control over the country, allowing them easy access to spreading religion. However, the southern Christians in Nigeria started to grow in number, slowly taking over control of the country’s various regions until they became large enough to challenge Islamic power (Peel).
Religion-related crime has run rampant throughout Nigeria since then with no clear solution as the government has been unable to take action In northern Nigeria, local governments implemented sharia law as a way to punish criminals and regulate crime (Reynold). The Christian population was uneasy with such a laws in place, and the southern government questioned their constitutionality. The tensions grew between northern and southern Nigeria until riots finally erupted in February 2000. Rioting first began in the northern city of Kaduna and lead to hundreds of deaths, with a large majority being Christians (Reynold). This led to large-scale Christian retaliation in southern Nigeria, where the majority Christian population took vengeance on Muslims. For the people of Nigeria, the main reason that the issue of religion has become so large is because religion is too ingrained within society (Emejo).
Religion is an important part of the lives of many across the world. However, there are many different religions that people follow, and these differences may lead to situations such as war and death of those involved. Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka once said, "If we do not tame religion in Nigeria, religion will kill us … Many Nigerians have paid the ultimate price because of religion and religion is now embedded in our society." (Emejo). As the United States continues to explore the balance between religion and the people, it must recognize that action must be taken by the government to avoid this sort of bloody conflict before tensions rocket out of control.
Works Cited
Emejo, James"Southern Kaduna - Religion Will Kill Nigeria If... , Warns Soyinka."Africa News Service, 13 Jan. 2017. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A477325024/GIC?u=los42754&xid=d50c4829. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
Kalu, Ogbu. "Religion, Western Presence in Africa." Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450, edited by Thomas Benjamin, vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 963-966. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2587300353/GIC?u=los42754&xid=e0a0b8e6. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017.
Peel, J.D.Y. "A Dangerous Awakening: the politicization of religion in Nigeria." Africa, vol. 66, no. 4, 1996, p. 607+. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A19417636/GIC?u=los42754&xid=2a7415e3. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017.
Reynolds, Jonathan T. "Nigeria and Shari'a: Religion and Politics in a West African Nation." History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide, edited by Sonia G. Benson, et al., vol. 2, Gale, 2001. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2309002021/GIC?u=los42754&xid=deafdd5f. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
Kaduna, Nigeria - Seventeen years ago, riots here marked the beginning of religious conflict within Nigeria. As discontent between the Northern Muslims and Southern Christians came to an all time high, the anger and religious differences was manifested as riots that lead to the death of thousands (Reynold).
In a world where religion tears people apart instead of uniting them, it is important to understand why religious conflicts occur and their effects. The African country of Nigeria is a perfect example of a religious divide. Filled with a long history of colonialism and interference from European influence, Nigeria is faced with conflict between the non-native religions, creating conflict where none previously existed. With the world’s largest two religions, Islam and Christianity, dominating the region, religious strife is inevitable. The United States is going through its own issue with religious tolerance caused by the latest presidential election. As such, it is imperative that it learns from other countries that already face this sensitive issue such as Nigeria to learn how to combat religious intolerance.
Africa has a long history of colonialism by European countries.The introduction of the Catholic religion to the indigenous groups began to increase the variety of religions on the continent (Kalu). At the same time, the Maghrib, countries of northwest Africa, were all Islamic and spread their religion as they conquered land Kalu). This created a larger range of religions trying to coexist within the continent. Once the era of imperialism came to an end, European countries hastily left Africa, leaving behind boundaries that did not respect the numerous religions within the continent (Reynolds). This is clear in the ongoing civil war in Nigeria. The inter-religious tensions first began after the British had left, unifying two of their territories that practiced different religions (Peel). The Islamic groups originally enjoyed political control over the country, allowing them easy access to spreading religion. However, the southern Christians in Nigeria started to grow in number, slowly taking over control of the country’s various regions until they became large enough to challenge Islamic power (Peel).
Religion-related crime has run rampant throughout Nigeria since then with no clear solution as the government has been unable to take action In northern Nigeria, local governments implemented sharia law as a way to punish criminals and regulate crime (Reynold). The Christian population was uneasy with such a laws in place, and the southern government questioned their constitutionality. The tensions grew between northern and southern Nigeria until riots finally erupted in February 2000. Rioting first began in the northern city of Kaduna and lead to hundreds of deaths, with a large majority being Christians (Reynold). This led to large-scale Christian retaliation in southern Nigeria, where the majority Christian population took vengeance on Muslims. For the people of Nigeria, the main reason that the issue of religion has become so large is because religion is too ingrained within society (Emejo).
Religion is an important part of the lives of many across the world. However, there are many different religions that people follow, and these differences may lead to situations such as war and death of those involved. Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka once said, "If we do not tame religion in Nigeria, religion will kill us … Many Nigerians have paid the ultimate price because of religion and religion is now embedded in our society." (Emejo). As the United States continues to explore the balance between religion and the people, it must recognize that action must be taken by the government to avoid this sort of bloody conflict before tensions rocket out of control.
Works Cited
Emejo, James"Southern Kaduna - Religion Will Kill Nigeria If... , Warns Soyinka."Africa News Service, 13 Jan. 2017. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A477325024/GIC?u=los42754&xid=d50c4829. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
Kalu, Ogbu. "Religion, Western Presence in Africa." Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450, edited by Thomas Benjamin, vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 963-966. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2587300353/GIC?u=los42754&xid=e0a0b8e6. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017.
Peel, J.D.Y. "A Dangerous Awakening: the politicization of religion in Nigeria." Africa, vol. 66, no. 4, 1996, p. 607+. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A19417636/GIC?u=los42754&xid=2a7415e3. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017.
Reynolds, Jonathan T. "Nigeria and Shari'a: Religion and Politics in a West African Nation." History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide, edited by Sonia G. Benson, et al., vol. 2, Gale, 2001. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2309002021/GIC?u=los42754&xid=deafdd5f. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
I really liked your hook. I had no idea about the religious conflicts going on in Africa or that they were trying to implement Sharia law. I wonder if religion and government can ever live together peacefully?
ReplyDeleteI also really like your hook, it was engaging and it introduced the idea of the article well. It was interesting to learn about the religious conflicts in Africa, I did not expect Africa to be a country with religious conflict. One question I have is which religion has the majority of the people?
ReplyDelete