A religiously divided Nigeria Blog #7

Crystal Bayne
SOC-202
3/4/2011
2:44pm

Nigeria is a religiously segregated country. The northern part of the country is predominantly made up of Islamic followers while the south is all Christian (mostly Catholics). Unlike this country (United States) where there is a pretty good idea of what religious tolerance, Nigeria is almost always on edge. Just this past Christmas there was a series of suicidal bombings. And just recently five Christians were killed in an overnight attack. All of these attacks have seemed to have taken place in the central part of the country, and have been between both Muslim and Christian ethnic groups. Those killed in the most recent attack were all related, a mother and her four children. The suspected attackers are the "Fulanis"a group of religious extremists. The government has publicly come out and said the reason for the all the violence is over economic and political power. "The Christian Berom ethnic group, viewed as indigenous to the region, and Hausa-Fulani Muslims, seen as the more recent arrivals."

I feel as if week after week I am repeatedly saying the same thing. Why can't we all just coexist?! I truly feel as if this really is becoming the same old story, week after week. The world seems to be taking one step forward only to be knocked back two steps. It as if we are attempting to make progress yet we have nothing to prove for it. It really makes you wonder if we will ever get to that perfect utopia. For the past couple of months it has been all of the news. These protests have been seen and heard all around world. Right now the Middle East and Africa are on the global stage and the spotlight is on them. While many of the protests have to do many with the way the country is being run, wit today's technology we are able to get a glimpse at literally everything going on in these countries. That means we have all seen a lot of religious division here recently. But maybe all of this will change the religious discrimination and ignorance that we see currently going on? Who knows...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtPcarePEA4uJArJCrKSVaDkYsNQ?docId=CNG.8a385502b491a612fde23cd3e59f1fdb.91

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=9460