Nigerian attacks

Over Christmas, around 40 people died in what were the worst acts of terror against Christians this year. Several hundred have fallen victim to the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram since 2010. Exact figures are unknown.

The Christian Association of Nigeria regards this as a declaration of war. For it, Boko Haram has declared jihad, a holy war on Christians, and Christians must respond in kind.

But this reaction is just as senseless as it is dangerous. Against whom should the Christians defend themselves? Against all Muslims? How would the Christian community fight off Boko Haram's guerillas effectively?

And, most importantly, where would such tit-for-tat violence lead a country like Nigeria, a land locked in a Christian-Muslim standoff?

It seems unthinkable that anyone could seriously want to escalate the situation. This would risk plunging Africa's most populous country and its 150 million people into a civil war, and seeing it fall apart, divided along religious lines.

But the church leader's statements do raise uncomfortable questions:

Why is the Nigerian government incapable of protecting the lives, property and churches of the country's Christians? And why have none of the possible Islamist arsonists and bombers been caught, despite a visible police and military presence in the form of roadblocks in the main regions of unrest - and despite patrols by special commandos of the Nigerian army and heavily armed police?

The machine-gun-toting, moped-riding gangs do not commit their murderous acts in a secretive or quiet way. The Boko Haram terrorists are not invisible. Those who are willing to hear know which targets could be the next. Each year around Christmas it's far too predictable that churches will be among them. There is arbitrariness instead of law and order, impunity instead of protection. The state is failing - but why?

Unless President Goodluck Jonathan comes up with a quick and convincing answer to this question, terrorism could endanger his own grip on power.

There's also more than a conflict of religions and ideologies behind the violence in northern Nigeria. It's also a question of power, influence, money and resources. There are Nigerian states, even in the country's north, where Christians and Muslims live in harmony, where political compromise and understanding have helped maintain good relations. As one Muslim religious leader put it; there is no conflict between Muslims and Christians, only between good and bad people. Clearly many people see a greater advantage in an escalation of violence than they do in peace, because neither Christians nor Muslims nor the Nigerian government has yet taken any effective steps toward de-escalation.

Why has religion become a vehicle for violence? In this region, religion is a powerful and simple tool, one that can be used to reach the uneducated and the majority of the population. Everywhere in the cities of northern Nigeria, little green signs at crossroads remind the faithful of their beliefs: "Allah, our forgiveness," "Allah, our hope." Whether it's in the many churches bearing fanciful names, the big and small green-roofed mosques in the cities or the simple prayer rooms in the fields, in this region, faith is not a private affair, but a major part of public life.

Boko Haram, which has perpetrated terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria since 2009, exploits this. Since August at the latest, when the group bombed a UN building in the capital Abuja, Boko Haram's attacks have taken on a new dimension. It is likely that the group is now linked with the al-Qaeda network. This changes the ideological superstructure and the destructive power of the terror, and brings with it the real danger that al-Qaeda's reach may spread from the Sahel to Nigeria. This in turn would mean that the terrorist group would expand even further into the African continent.

If reports are confirmed that Boko Haram is in league with al-Qaeda, it will be even more essential to disrupt the group's breeding ground as quickly as possible - through targeted education and development programs that would offer new opportunities to the youth in the north of this oil-rich country.

The message to Nigeria's political and religious leaders should be this: don't waste time with saber-rattling - instead, work to create a responsible political culture in this multiethnic state with its many religions - and take a determined, united stand against violence. It's about time.

Author: Ute Schaeffer / dl
Editor: Ben Knight