International, Politics, Religion

Nigerian Islamic Militants Reportedly Torch Over 180 Churches

220px-Lewes_Bonfire,_discarded_torchThe Islamic group Boko Haram has a new outrage to its credit. According to Reverend Gideon Obasogie, the director of Catholic Social Communication of Maiduguri Diocese in Borno State, the group has burned down over 180 churches in the West African country. It appears that the group views Islam as allowing for no other form of faith.

Obasogie said Boko Haram fighters have been “ransacking and torching” churches while forcing priests and congregants to flee.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been criticised for his inaction against the terror group which seeks to expand its “caliphate” in north-eastern Nigeria. It previously attracted global condemnation for its kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls to be handed over to fighters as Muslim wives.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nigeria-boko-haram-torch-185-churches-captured-towns-borno-adamawa-1468763

73 thoughts on “Nigerian Islamic Militants Reportedly Torch Over 180 Churches”

  1. Paul C. Schulte
    The religion of peace strikes again.
    = = =

    They’re called “MEME’s”
    You use them regularly. I’m surprised you act shocked to not know this…

  2. re: “It appears that the group views Islam as allowing for no other form of faith.” There is no “appears”. BH views Islam as the only viable religion. The argument that BH is an evil organization was won years ago.

    re: Conspiracy theory about oil being a driver of US policy about who to bomb. First of all, Boko Haram hides in thick African jungle where it’s impossible to find them. Anyone who can read a paper or a map would know that.

    re: Max-1. Millions more people have been slaughtered by atheists than by the religious.

    So, the wackos have trotted out the “oil conspiracy theory”, the “religion is evil” mantra. I’m waiting for comments blaming Bush, Koch brothers, the GOP and guns.

    2. Steve H – thick jungle is why we invented Agent Orange. Time to bring it out again.

    3. Steve H – re: Conspiracy theory about oil being a driver of US policy about who to bomb. First of all, Boko Haram hides in thick African jungle where it’s impossible to find them. Anyone who can read a paper or a map would know that.

      That’s a very intelligent observation of yours. Thank you. Apparently you have not been keeping up with the times on N Africa and China on Oil. This is not a wild Conspiracy Theory that I made up with red arrows and FEMA Camps and Sheeple Wake up Alex Jones style. I have included links and searches on Google and you can do one yourself if you are so inclined.

      At the same time, the US Defense Dept. and much of the State Dept. are viewing Africa with a far higher sense of priority and professionalism than ever before.

      The Obama White House, however, favors the end of US and British “hegemony” over Africa, forgetting, perhaps, that the legacy of Cold War and colonial-era suasion is now but faded memory. Britain now lacks the ability to exercise hegemonistic control (or even influence) over its former colonies, but the Obama White House still wants the UK to “pay” for its colonial history. This is a signifi-cant sub-text to the White House view on Africa. However, Pres. Obama still wants to be heard and respected in Africa, yet the inconsistency of withdrawing both carrot and stick while still expecting to be influential has yet to be understood in Washington.

      http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Africa-Transforms-But-Confused-US-Policies-Push-it-Toward-China.html

  4. When reading the Juan Cole article, ask yourself how many times have you or your political allies used the phrase, “AMERICA IS A CHRISTIAN NATION.”

    Then ask yourself what your personal Caliphate is against Islam.

  6. Terrorism and the other Religions
    By Juan Cole

    Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill Maher, Muslims are not more violent than people of other religions. Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States.

    As for political violence, people of Christian heritage in the twentieth century polished off tens of millions of people in the two world wars and colonial repression. This massive carnage did not occur because European Christians are worse than or different from other human beings, but because they were the first to industrialize war and pursue a national model. Sometimes it is argued that they did not act in the name of religion but of nationalism. But, really, how naive. Religion and nationalism are closely intertwined.
    (continued)

  7. Sorry, “CHOOSE” to repeat the past. Their ignorance knows no bounds.
    Paint brush bearers splattering their bigoted beliefs upon all…

  8. Jews burned the Reichstag…
    Catholics raped your child…
    Muslims are out to kill ya…

    Some people here are repeating the failures of the past.

    1. Max-1 – a Communist burned the Riechstag. Where are you getting your history from?

  9. Lloyd Blankfien – bankster: “or could it have something to do with oil? Hhhmmmmmm…..”

    FYI, both areas feature oil: http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/167.htm

    Apart from petroleum, Nigeria’s other natural resources include natural gas, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc and arable land. The oil and gas sector accounts for about 35 per cent of gross domestic product, and petroleum exports revenue represents over 90 per cent of total exports revenue. Its currency is the naira.

    There is a threshold that ISIS has risen past, thus compelling (reluctant, inadequate) US-led intervention, that Boko Haram has not yet crossed. While the two entities share a global movement and likely cooperate as such, a practical difference is that ISIS has seized oil assets and used them to fund its growth whereas Boko Haram, to my knowledge, has not achieved that yet, though I imagine the goal is on their to-do list.

  14. Interesting that BH and IS are the same evil, but US and ‘coalition’ forces only bomb the bad guys in the desert oil regions…….Must be easier pickings, or could it have something to do with oil? Hhhmmmmmm…..

    And what’s more worrying is if these killing religious wackos encounter Ebola and spread it indiscriminately, since they don’t believe in anything but their twisted religious beliefs….and that western powers are the cause of Ebola.

  15. Dredd: “Fundies get around don’t they … they are here in the U.S. too.”

    True. Such is the global War on Terror. A number of American citizens have sympathized with, been inspired by, and even joined al Qaeda, ISIS, et al.

  16. jonthanturley: “It appears that the group views Islam as allowing for no other form of faith.”

    For the ‘Why They Fight’, see Syed Qutb’s seminal Milestones (1964):
    http://www.izharudeen.com/uploads/4/1/2/2/4122615/milestones_www.izharudeen.com.pdf

    A decent May 2013 analysis of Qutb’s influence on current events:
    http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/sayyid-qutb%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cmilestones%E2%80%9D-and-its-impact-on-the-arab-spring

    While Qutb explicitly rejected Marxism, he also seems to have absorbed Marxist principles, though to be fair, the Marxist principles may have themselves been first derived from maximalist religious principles.

  18. The only respect that “religion” deserves is for any efforts it makes at teaching the golden rule, humanitarian efforts, caring for others, generosity, and kindness. All the bad that religion does seems to enjoy the benefits of respect generated by the small amount of good it does. This is a rather curious phenomenon.

  19. Jerks. Its against the quran and all of humanity to operate like that. What miserable excuses for humanity.

  20. “It appears that the group views Islam as allowing for no other form of faith.”

    Fundies get around don’t they … they are here in the U.S. too.

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