Boko Haram, an Islamic fundamentalist group, is killing Christians in Nigeria. Violence erupted in 2009 when the group sought to overtake the Nigerian government and instate a regime based on sharia law. The controversial word “sharia” is Arabic for “the correct path.” Many muslims, including the ones killed by Boko Haram, would assert this bloody trail is anything but correct.
There are some things to clarify before I proceed. This is not a strictly sectarian conflict. Now, as to what our “wise” government officials have said in the United States: The interventionist gestures of fools such as President Trump and Sen. Cruz should not distract from the fact that Christians are being targeted. Lastly, I must stress: this column should not move your eyes and hearts away from the people of Palestine. Keep your attention, prayers and action toward the plight of the Palestinian people. For today, I must write for my brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria.
Boko Haram slaughters those who do not uphold their “pure” interpretation of sharia. Their former leader Ustaz Mohammed Yūsuf said they seek to disavow “every form of unbelief.” It’s clear that, to Boko Haram, Christians are an anathema. Trump and Cruz spoke out after the killings in 2025, but this violence is not a recent phenomenon.
In 2012, after a series of attacks on churches, a spokesman for the organization gave a three day ultimatum for Christians to leave northern Nigeria, a predominantly Muslim part of the country. In 2018, Boko Haram abducted Leah Sharibu, a Christian schoolgirl in Dapchi, Yobe State. They demanded she renounce her faith, and when she refused to convert, they kept her captive. Veronica Kaduwa was also held captive by the group for three years, tortured, sexually abused and pressured to convert to Islam.
Boko Haram is killing Christians, and, yes, it is couched in a much deeper context. There are socioeconomic, political and ethnic factors to consider. But, you know, I bet the Christians being abducted and killed are not thinking about the deeper context of the matter with Kalashnikovs held up to their temples.
