Attacks on Religious Minorities

We write this following news of another attack on Christians at a church in North East Nigeria (the North is mainly Muslim) on 5 January 2012. There were attacks on churches in Abuja (the capital) on Christmas Day by a violent Islamist sect Boko Haram. We reported the response of three UK Muslim organisations to the Christmas Day attacks on 27 December. These statements include comments such as 

 

‘outrageous suicide terrorist attacks … targeted innocent Christian Nigerian families who were praying in their Churches on Christmas Day. Such attacks are an affront to all human and religious values and aim to inspire hate and disrupt the harmony of Christian Muslim community relations, who have co-existed for centuries.’

 

‘These heinous acts carried out on Christmas Day fill us with horror. Millions of people around the world are engaging in acts of worship and peace yet these villainous and cowardly murders show no regard for basic human rights and values.’

 

‘There is nothing in our faith of Islam that can condone attacks on places of worship or on Christians as we have seen today. The attacks take place at the most important celebrations for Christians, it is offensive and Muslims condemn such actions.’

 

We reiterate that attacks on people of other faiths are not part of either Christianity or Islam and that both religions seek to increase our understanding of what it means to be a diverse human community and to work for peace.

 

We stress the importance of people of faith and inter faith groups condemning atrocities and violence against minority groups

 

We are distressed by atrocities in Nigeria, by the regularity of attacks on religious minorities and by the association of religion with violence. 

 

We stress, as we have done before, that it is abuse of power, inequality, hatred and dehumanising of the other which produces violence, not religion. 

 

We offer our prayers for all who have been injured and killed and their families. 

 

We appeal to our government, as well as governments and those in authority in other countries, to stand firm for peace and to address the situations which give rise to mistrust, inequality and dehumanising of fellow citizens.

 

Presidents of the Christian Muslim Forum – Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham & Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra (Co-Chairs); Anjum Anwar MBE, Rt Revd Paul Hendricks, Rt Revd Donnett Thomas, Revd Alison Tomlin