The Muslim Public Affairs Centre, or MPAC, Nigeria, has refuted recent claims made by American television host Bill Maher that Christians in Nigeria are the target of genocide.
In a purportedly Friday, September 26 episode of his HBO talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, he asserted that “Islamists” in Nigeria had killed over 100,000 Christians and demolished over 18,000 churches, implying a planned effort to “extirpate the Christian population of a whole nation.”
According to a statement released on Monday by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, MPAC rejected the allegations as “alarmist, false, and agenda-driven,” cautioning that they are not only deceptive but also could jeopardize Nigeria’s fragile social cohesion.
The group stressed that rather than being a result of religious hostility, Nigeria’s security situation is complicated and stems from a number of sociopolitical causes.
Both Muslims and Christians, as well as others who have no religious affiliation, have been murdered by terrorists and criminal organizations. In fact, there have been more Muslim victims of terrorist strikes in Nigeria than Christian victims. Disu Kamor stated, “Terrorists are merely trying to split our people by framing this as a religious war.
The group denounced what it called a growing tendency of media outlets and global leaders promoting narratives that exacerbate religious tensions, frequently with little consideration for local realities.
Furthermore, according to MPAC, these narratives can be in line with larger Islamophobic goals both inside and outside of Nigeria.
MPAC also cited U.S. Congressman Scott Perry’s purported charges earlier this year that USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, had contributed to the financing of terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram.
MPAC urged the Nigerian government to openly look into all claims of arms trafficking and terrorism funding.
The group also made analogies to the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, accusing Israel and the US of launching a campaign that has resulted in church demolition and the deaths of Palestinians who are both Muslim and Christian.
Citing research from international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, MPAC said, “Those who are worried about Christian persecution should look to Gaza, not Nigeria, for evidence of genocide.”
Nigeria’s identity as a multireligious country with a long history of peaceful coexistence was reinforced by MPAC.
It urged Nigerians and the world community to uphold the truth, shun divisive discourse, and concentrate on thwarting terrorism in all of its manifestations, including state-sponsored and non-state.
