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February 12, 2008

Nigeria: Muslim "Blasphemy" Riots - Three Killed

News from BosNews Life, Reuters, All Africa, Europe News, Compass Direct, Africasia (article now expired), Leadership, and DPA via Earth Times.

Rioting has taken place on two separate occasions in northern Nigeria. Bauchi state (purple on the map) is one of Nigeria's 12 states (out of 36) which has adopted sharia law. On Saturday February 2 in the city of Yana in Shira council area, Bauchi state, an allegation of blasphemy led Muslims to riot. The blasphemy was allegedly carried out by a Christian woman. As a result, Muslim youths beseiged the police station and set it on fire. The mob was calling for the lynching of the Christian woman. Police fired into the mob and one rioter was killed. This led to the mob attacking policemen's homes in the town, and setting Christian shops on fire. 44 people were arrested. The woman had been accused of "desecrating" a Koran.

On Saturday February 9, rioting erupted in Sumaila town in Kano state (green on the map). Zubairu Hamza, head of the Sumaila Council area, claimed that violence erupted after a group of youths began protesting against the distribution of a leaflet which was said to be slandering the founder of Islam.

The mob suspected that non-Muslim students from the Government Secondary School had initiated the circulation of the leaflets. One of these students was followed and he took refuge in the local police station. The police refused to hand this student to the mob for lynching, and violence began. Three people, a police inspector and two civilians were killed in the ensuing rioting. 25 people, including students from the Government Secondary School were arrested. Four cars and six motorcycles which had been parked at the police station had been burnt.

Kano police chief Aminu Yesufu said that as well as the deaths, "the divisional police station and everything inside, including ammunition, have been burned by the rioters." Twenty people were injured, including a local police officer who had a machete wound to his head.

Compass Direct claimed that the reason for the violence in Yana is that a Christian woman had refused an offer of marriage from a Muslim youth. Patience Yusuf, an orphan, was then accused by the Muslim man of blasphemy. Ms Yusuf was confronted at her home by the spurned suitor and other Muslims. She fled to the local police station.

In the violence, five churches - an ECWA church, a Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), an Apostolic Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and a Church of Christ in Nigeria - were burned to the ground. A thousand people were displaced.

On September 28, 2007 a similar riot happened at Tudun Wada in Kano state. Official estimates for that incident placed the death toll at nine Christians. Several churches were burned and non-Muslims' businesses and homes were destroyed. That incident had started when two Christian students were being bullied by Muslims. When the school principal arrived, the Muslims accused the Christians of drawing a picture of Mohammed on a mosque wall. An official later reported that the violence in Tudun Wada began after Christians refused to let another Christian convert to Islam.

In March 2007 in Gombe state (yellow on the map), a Christian woman teacher was lynched to death by her violent Muslim pupils. Oluwatoyin Olusase had been acting as an invigilator for an Islamic Knowledge religious exam. She was attacked outside the school, and accused of "desecrating" a Koran.

In February 2006 in Bauchi state a Christian teacher had tried to confiscate a copy of a Koran from a pupil who was reading it during her lesson. Rioting erupted and 5 people were killed and churches were burned down.

On June 28, 2006 in the state of NIger in the west of Nigeria a woman was lynched to death for allegedly dropping a letter containing "unprintable" statements about Mohammed and Christ. SHe was taken into protective custody at Izom police station, but when the mob got more aggressive, the police made plans to move her to a safer location. The mob snatched her and stoned her to death.

As happens all too frequently in Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy and Koran desecration are used to enact personal vengeance and to settle personal feuds or even gambling debts. Similarly in Nigeria's states which condone Sharia, Christians are a minority, and blasphemy is the flimsiest excuse used to persecute them.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at February 12, 2008 8:39 PM

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