There was a bizarre twist on an all-too-familiar story in Nigeria. An irate mob of Muslim protesters set a court on fire for releasing a man, Malam Abdul Nyass, after he was accused of insulting Mohammad. The crowd demanded his death. What is a bit different is that the court was actually a Sharia court imposing Islamic law and the accused was a cleric.
Nyass is part of the Tijanniyah sect, which is represents half of the Muslim population with Sunnis representing the other half.
Nyass was accused of saying that the Tijanniyah leader was more powerful than Mohammad.
The crowd responded to the decision of the court by throwing flaming tires into the building and burning it.
Part of the problem of embracing religious codes as a form of law is that it fuels such demands for religious and medieval retribution. It is hard to distinguish between a court that metes out Islamic justice from a mob demanding its own view of religious justice. Both are seeking to impose their faith on others in the name of some divine being. Such courts also reaffirm that virtual absence of any notion of free speech in countries imposing religious codes. The issue is not whether someone can speak against Mohammad but rather if they did and, if so, what punishment they will face under Sharia law.
*mob, I don’t know of a BK/Isis mom!
davidm2575
1, May 27, 2015 at 12:12 pm
In case some here think Nigeria is a peaceful place free from the jihadist extremists, I want to point out some historical facts.
Boko Haram is also known as “Islamic State’s West Africa Province” (ISWAP). This Sunni Islamic group has sworn allegiance to ISIS and the establishment of a caliphate. Although the article only identifies Sunni militants burning down the court, bombing and fires have been the signature of Boko Haram’s activities in Nigeria. Whatever one might surmise about this incident, it is obvious that these are Muslims who were not happy with the courts’ moderate judgment.
Following is a partial timeline of Boko Haram activities in Nigeria last year and the first part of this year.
Timeline of Boko Haram insurgency is the chronology of the Boko Haram insurgency, an ongoing armed conflict between Boko Haram (including their offshoot Ansaru) and the Nigerian government.
[…snip…]
—————————————————————————————
David, you start with a fallacy “In case some here think Nigeria is a peaceful place free from the jihadist extremists…, for NO ONE here thinks that Nigeria is a peaceful place free of jihadist extremists, NO ONE!. Matter of fact, there is nowhere in the whole globe where people think that.
Which leads us to wonder then who you are arguing with?
Why the need to link the original article to Boko haram and ISIS?
Why the need to portray Nigeria as this place where BK and ISIS run rampant and are taking over the country?
Is this sourced from the same place that made it a fact that ISIS was infiltrating the US from Mexico? And brought us operation Jade helm as Obama taking over texas and instituting martial law?
BK has been a Nigerian problem for over a decade.
ISIS started when?
Boko haram attached itself to ISIS when?
Again, listing the horrific acts of BK does not tell us who they are and what they want,,, why not place them into context and tell us:
who they are
what they want
who supports them
why the increase in the number and severity of their actions?
And finally, how do you know that the mob that attacked the court was a BK/ISIS mom?
Ari, I agree with you, hence the “I am not fighting yet…”. Fighting is indeed bad, passive aggressiveness however, is just fighting while refusing the responsibility (Paul…?)
“ Wonder who will show up next!” You couldn’t help it, Paul 🙂
In case some here think Nigeria is a peaceful place free from the jihadist extremists, I want to point out some historical facts.
Boko Haram is also known as “Islamic State’s West Africa Province” (ISWAP). This Sunni Islamic group has sworn allegiance to ISIS and the establishment of a caliphate. Although the article only identifies Sunni militants burning down the court, bombing and fires have been the signature of Boko Haram’s activities in Nigeria. Whatever one might surmise about this incident, it is obvious that these are Muslims who were not happy with the courts’ moderate judgment.
Following is a partial timeline of Boko Haram activities in Nigeria last year and the first part of this year.
Timeline of Boko Haram insurgency is the chronology of the Boko Haram insurgency, an ongoing armed conflict between Boko Haram (including their offshoot Ansaru) and the Nigerian government.
[…snip…]
2014
January 14–30 people are killed in a bombing by Boko Haram militants in Maiduguri, Borno State.[17]
January 26 – January 2014 Northern Nigeria attacks, 138 killed in total
January 31 – 11 Christians killed in Chakawa by Boko Haram militants.[18]
February 14 – Borno Massacre, 121 Christian villagers killed by Boko Haram militants in Konduga, Borno State.
February 15 – Izghe attack, 106 killed the village of Izghe, Borno State by Boko Haram gunmen.
February 15 – 90 Christians and 9 Nigerian soldiers are killed in Gwosa by Boko Haram.[19]
February 24 – Dozens killed as Boko Haram again raids Izghe.[20]
February 25 – Federal Government College attack, 59 students killed in a school massacre in Yobe State.
March 14 – Boko Haram attacks the heavily fortified Giwa military barracks in Maiduguri, freeing comrades from a detention facility. The military then executes about 600 unarmed recaptured detainees, according to Amnesty International.[21]
April 14 – April 2014 Abuja bombing, over 88 people killed in a twin bombing attack in Abuja.
April 15 – Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, 276 female students in Borno State are kidnapped by Boko Haram.
May 1 – May 2014 Abuja bombing, 19 killed in Abuja by a car bomb.
May 5 – 2014 Gamboru Ngala attack, at least 300 people are killed in the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State by Boko Haram militants.
May 20 – 2014 Jos bombings, at least 118 villagers are killed by car bombs in the city of Jos.
May 21 – 27 villagers are killed by Boko Haram gunmen in northeastern Nigeria.[22]
May 27 – May 2014 Buni Yadi attack, 49 security personnel and 9 civilians are killed during a Boko Haram attack on a military base in Yobe State.
May 30 – The third emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, is assassinated during a Boko Haram ambush.
June 1 – 2014 Mubi bombing, at least 40 people are killed by a bomb in Mubi, Adamawa State.
June 2 – Gwoza massacre, at least 200, mostly Christians, are killed in several villages in Borno State by Boko Haram.
June 20–23 – June 2014 Borno State attacks, at 70 people are killed and 91 women and children kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Borno State.
June 23–25 – June 2014 central Nigeria attacks, around 171 people are killed in a series of attacks in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
June 26 – Over 100 militants are killed by the Nigerian military during a raid on two Boko Haram camps.[23]
June 28 – 11 people are killed by a bomb in Bauchi.[24]
July 18 – At least 18 are killed by a Boko Haram attack in Damboa, leaving the town almost destroyed.[25]
July 22 – 51 people are killed by Boko Haram in Chibok.[26]
September 19 – Around 30 people are killed by Boko Haram militants at a busy market in Mainok, Borno State.[27]
October 10 – Lagos prison break, one inmate is killed following a failed attack to free inmates in a Lagos prison. Boko Haram is not suspected to be involved in the attack.
October 31 – At least 4 people are killed, 32 injured and 13 vehicles destroyed by an explosion at a bus station in Gombe.[28]
November 2 – Kogi prison break, 99 inmates in Kogi State are freed by suspected Boko Haram rebels.
November 3–10 – 2014 Yobe State attacks, a double suicide bombing in Yobe State kills 15 Shiites on the 3rd and 46 students on the 10th.
November 25 – Over 45 people are killed by two suicide bombers in Maiduguri, Borno State.[29]
November 27 – Around 50 people are killed in Damasak by Boko Haram militants.[30]
November 28 – 2014 Kano bombing, at least 120 Muslim followers of the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, are killed during a suicide bombing and gun attack by Boko Haram. The 4 gunmen are subsequently killed by an angry mob.
November 30 – Ekiti prison break, 274 inmates escape a prison in Ekiti. Claims that Boko Haram perpetrated the attack are refuted.
December 1–5 people are killed by two female suicide bombers who detonated explosions at a crowded market place in Maiduguri, Borno State.[31]
December 6 – Minna prison break, 270 prisoners are freed from a prison in Minna. Boko Haram is not suspected to be involved in the attack.
December 10 – At least 4 people are killed and 7 injured by female suicide bombers near a market in Kano.[32]
December 11–30 people are killed and houses are destroyed by Boko Haram militants in Gajiganna, Borno State.[33]
December 13 – 2014 Gumsuri kidnappings, between 32 and 35 are killed and between 172 and 185 are kidnapped by Boko Haram in Borno State.
December 22 – 2014 Gombe bus station bombing, at least 27 people are killed at a bus station by a bomb in Gombe State.
December 28–29 – December 2014 Cameroon clashes, 85 civilians, 94 militants, and 2 Cameroonian soldiers are killed following a failed Boko Haram offensive into Cameroon’s Far North Region.
2015
January 2 – Boko Haram militants attack a bus in Waza, Cameroon, killing eleven people and injuring six.[34]
January 3–7 – 2015 Baga massacre, Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria. Bodies lay strewn on Baga’s streets with as many as 2,000 people having been killed. Boko Haram now controls 70% of Borno State, which is the worst-affected by the insurgency.
January 3 – Fleeing villagers from a remote part of the Borno State report that Boko Haram had three days prior kidnapped around 40 boys and young men.[35]
January 5 – News emerges that two days prior hundreds of Boko Haram militants had overrun several towns in northeast Nigeria and captured the military base in Baga.[36]
January 9 – Refugees flee Nigeria’s Borno State following the Boko Haram massacre in the town of Baga. 7,300 flee to neighbouring Chad while over 1,000 are trapped on the island of Kangala in Lake Chad. Nigeria’s army vows to recapture the town, while Niger and Chad withdraw their forces from a transnational force tasked with combating militants.[37]
January 10 – A female suicide bomber, believed to be aged around 10-years-old, kills herself and 19 others, possibly against her will, at a market in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, Nigeria.[38]
January 11 – More female suicide bombers, this time two, and again each believed to be around 10 years old, kill themselves and three others at a market in the northeastern city of Potiskum, Nigeria.[39]
January 12 – January 2015 Kolofata raid, Boko Haram militants launch a failed raid on Kolofata in Cameroon. The Cameroonian military claims the army lost only one officer while the Islamic group lost between 143-300 rebels.
January 16 – The Military of Chad enters Cameroon to assist in fighting against Boko Haram insurgents.[40]
January 17 – Following the January 16 Chad authorities decision to send troops to Nigeria and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram militants, the Russian ambassador to the country pledges to supply Cameroon with more modern weapons to combat the Islamist insurgents.[41]
January 18 – Boko Haram militants kidnap 80 people and kill three others from villages in north Cameroon.[42]
January 20 – Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claims responsibility for the attack on the town of Baga, Nigeria in which an unknown number of civilians were killed.[43]
January 24 – 15 people are killed as Boko Haram gunmen attempt to burn down the village of Kambari near Maidaguri.[44]
January 25 – Boko Haram rebels launch a large offensive against Nigerian forces in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, leading to the deaths of at least 8 civilians, up to 53 militants, and an unknown number of soldiers.[45][46] Although the attack fails, the rebels manage to capture the nearby strategic town of Monguno. The status of the 1,400 soldiers stationed in Monguno is unknown. As a result of these attacks, Boko Haram now controls four out of five roads leading into the major city, prompting fears that it will be taken as well.[47]
January 28 – Boko Haram fighters killed 40 people while on a rampage in Adamawa State.[48]
January 29 – The Nigerian military, in collaboration with Chadian soldiers, captures the border town of Michika from Boko Haram rebels.[49]
January 31 – The African Union pledges to send up to 7,500 international soldiers to aid Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram. Chadian forces claim to have killed 120 Boko Haram fighters while losing only 3 soldiers of their own during fighting in the north of Cameroon.[50]
February 1 – Boko Haram again attacks the capital city of Borno State, Maiduguri. This time, the city is attacked from four out of the five sides.[51][52] The attack is unsuccessful, but many civilians inside the city panic.[53] Also, a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber kills himself and eight others at the residence of a politician in Potiskum.[54] Another suicide bomber kills five people outside a mosque in Gombe.[55]
February 2 – A female suicide bomber attacks minutes after the President of Nigeria leaves an election rally in the city of Gombe resulting in at least one death and eighteen people injured.[56]
February 4 – Boko Haram militants reportedly raid the Cameroonian town of Fotokol in Cameroon’s Far North Region with scores of people killed.[57] Also on February 4th, the Chad Army claims to have killed 200 militants and lost nine soldiers while capturing the border town of Gamboru Ngala.[58][59]
February 6 – 2015 Niger raid, Boko Haram forces launch raids on the towns of Bosso and Diffa, both in Niger, marking the first time that the group has attacked the country. The Chadian military assists the Nigerien Armed Forces in repelling the attack. 5 Nigeriens are killed while the government claims 109 Boko Haram militants are killed as well.
February 7 – Nigeria postpones its general election for six weeks to allow its armed forces to control parts of the country currently controlled by Boko Haram.[60]
February 9 – Boko Haram launch a raid on a prison in the town of Diffa in Niger. Authorities repel the attack.[61]
February 12 – The West African Allied Forces, led by Nigeria and supported by Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, invade the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, a stronghold of Boko Haram, killing scores of the insurgents.[62] Elsewhere, the town of Mbuta, 15 miles northeast of Maiduguri, is raided by Boko Haram, resulting in the deaths of 8 residents. A dozen people are also killed in a suicide blast at Biu, 100 miles southwest of Maiduguri.[63]
February 13 – Boko Haram militants attack Chad for the first time after 30 fighters crossed Lake Chad in four motorboats and attacked the village of Ngouboua. Chad recently joined Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon in a military coalition against Boko Haram.[64]
February 14 – Boko Haram forces assault Gombe, the capital city of Gombe State, for the first time. The Nigerian military repels the attack, although the militants managed to overrun a checkpoint on the edge of the city before retreating.[65] The attack coincides with the beginning of a Nigerian offensive to rollback Boko Haram forces around the northeast.[66]
February 15 – A suicide bomber kills 16 and wounds 30 in the Nigerian city of Damaturu.[67]
February 16 – Nigeria regains the key town of Monguno from Boko Haram. The town had previously fallen to the militants on January 25th.[68]
February 18 – The Nigerian Army claims to have killed 300 militants in northeastern Nigeria. A warplane bombs a funeral ceremony in Niger killing 37 civilians.[69] The warplane remains unidentified, with the Nigerian government denying responsibility.
February 20 – Boko Haram militants kill 34 people in attacks across Borno State, 21 from the town of Chibok.[70][71]
February 21 – Nigerian army retakes Baga, which had fallen to Boko Haram on January 3rd.[72]
February 22 – A suicide bomber kills five and wounds dozens outside a market in Potiskum.[73][74]
February 24 – Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 people at bus stations in Potiskum and Kano.[75]
February 24 – Chadian soldiers kill over 200 Boko Haram fighters in a clash near the town of Garambu, close to Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. One Chad Army soldier is killed and nine are wounded.[76]
February 26 – At least 35 people are killed in two attacks targeting the cities of Biu and Jos.[77]
February 28 – Two female suicide bombers kill up to four civilians near Damaturu.[78]
March 2 – A senior military officer claims that 73 Boko Haram militants disguised as herders were killed near Kondunga town in Borno State. In addition, the Chadian military recaptures the town of Dikwa, also in Borno State.[79]
March 7 – Five suicide bomb blasts leave 54 dead and 143 wounded in Maiduguri.[80] After the explosions, Boko Haram formally declares allegiance to Islamic State.[81]
March 8 – Forces from Niger and Chad launch a ground and air offensive against Boko Haram Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria.[82]
March 9 – Chadian and Nigerien forces retake the towns of Malam Fatouri and Damasak in northeastern Nigeria.[83]
March 13 – The Nigerian government admits to using foreign mercenaries in the fight against Boko Haram.[84]
March 16 – Nigeria, Chad, and Niger begin a battle to liberate Damasak from Boko Haram militants.[85]
March 17 – The Nigerian military reclaims the small city of Bama from Boko Haram.[86]
March 18 – Niger and Chad capture the city of Damasak following a successful battle.[87] A mass grave of 90 people is discovered in the city.[88]
March 21 – Chadian forces establish a presence in the border town of Gamboru following recent attacks there by Boko Haram gunmen that killed 11 people.[89]
March 27 – The town of Gwoza is recaptured by the Nigerian military.[90]
March 28 – Voters in Nigeria go to the polls for a general election. Gunmen kill at least 15 voters including an opposition house of assembly candidate for Dukku in Gombe.[91]
March 29 – Voting in the Nigerian general election is delayed for a second day due to delays and malfunctioning equipment. So far, 43 people have died in Boko Haram attacks.[92]
April 24 – Last area controlled in Nigeria by Boko Haram’s forces is in the Sambisa forest[93]
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Boko_Haram_insurgency
Something that has always puzzled me…those who think “fighting” is a virtue. Those of us who’ve had to fight, usually with people we really hardly know, it is no such thing. At times, there is no choice. Other times, such as in conversation, it wastes energy and blocks insight and learning. We can teach other so much if we drop the hostility in any form. I’ve said before I learned a lot from enemies, even under adverse conditions. We can never cease learning if we know how to reach out and listen.
Aridog wrote: “Other times, such as in conversation, it wastes energy and blocks insight and learning. We can teach other so much if we drop the hostility in any form.”
I admire your passion for civil discourse. I want to apologize to all if I have seemed hostile or too passionate in my perspective. I will try harder to embrace and practice this virtue explained by Aridog.
po –
Still following that new manual are we?
Karen S … it no longer matters. I am done with the nit picking. It’s already back to uncertainty that I didn’t know Africa was a continent not a country. Loop de loop is boring. I’m done with it.
I’m quite sure that Aridog understands that Africa is a continent and not a nation, and that Po is once again fighting about nothing. Which ties in nicely to my above comment that quarreling about nothing is a waste of our gifts.
A “European vacation” is a common phrase. Even the PC police do not demand that you only say “an Italian, French, and German vacation”.
In light of that last quote, Ari, I am no longer certain you knew Africa is NOT a country!
What fault did I find with your narrative? What else did I say other than specify the country?!
That chip on your shoulder is making it hard to talk to you, man!
Paul, this is the same manual I got from the Muslim brotherhood at the white office office! Let me dust off my CAIR manual, will get back to you with it.
Ari says:
BS, I spoke of both Africa and Zambia on this thread and on this topic. If you need guidance on the South Sudan’s predicament today, you just may not know as much as you think you do. I’ve generally referred to Africa positively and as exciting to learn about, yet you still find fault due to your narrative.
—————————————————–
Are you saying you did not mention Africa at least 3 times in the previous discussion: Actually, the last quote from you is very hard to pass over, for it speaks of Africa as if it is a suburb of Johanesburg!
“I’ve friends who, as a family, moved to Africa as American Ex-Pats, to start two businesses, and stay in very frequent (daily) touch about all things “Africa.” I’ve never been there so I hang on every word and find that cultural norms there are a little lax and may be a historic part of the black experience in America, albeit quite less distinct…made worse by historic oppression here. I get it that some can’t escape their resentment…only thing is if they, too, moved to Africa they’d find a different world than they imagine. When one of the ex-pats writes about some odd occurrence, it often ends with: “…because, Africa”…yet they are determined to remain and thrive, and are buying a house as I write this, and they are thriving as a very obvious minority, no less. Their acceptance is founded on what they do, not what someone “thinks” they might think.”
“I’ve referred to my friends who moved, as ex-pats, to Africa a while back and plan to stay there. Their view of “African” is quite different than ours here, in too many instances. However, none of their attitudes involves evaluation one group versus another, given they plan to live there for a long time now. They are a very distinct minority who intend to be part of the whole cloth of things African, and have succeeded so far. ”
“General observation: For those who prefer Tanqueray Gin as I did in my party down days, drunk always “neat” with side of ice water with a lime wedge, if you live in Africa plan on multiple trips to Jo-burg airport and the store there. It’s the only reliable place to find Tanqueray and sundry other higher end spirits. Rural Africans don’t seem to have the same palate as we Yanks…they’ll drink anything. “
Thanks for using the specific of Ghana, rather than Africa, Ari.
Am sure your young student from Ghana appreciates it.
Regarding where I actually live? I have answered that the first time we communicated, California, following your invite to Michigan for a meal.
Where I came from? I have also answered that often (ask Paul), Senegal!
I have also very recently, stated that I lived in Senegal half my life and in the US the other half. Bam bam and PAul read it, and used it to question my allegiances to this country.
Does living in the US make me non-African?
Are your expat/immigrants friends no longer American?
It is fascinating to me how self-obsessed you are! Every time I speak generally, you self-direct my general comments at your self in order to/ then take umbrage to it. I keep having to reassure you in the middle of fighting Trooper or Paul or Nick, the usual lot, that none of my comments were directed at you!
In case it isn’t obvious to you yet, I can be very pleasant to the pleasant ones, and very ruthless to the ruthless ones. You get to choose which side of me you get 🙂
Where did I say you did not know Africa is NOT a country? Didn’t I say that most/many did not know, while asking to use the specific country, thereby showing that I obviously knew that you knew that Africa is NOT a country (I know, tough sentence!)
Po said …
I mentioned it here because it was a new topic, and because you did, again, speak of Africa generally.
BS, I spoke of both Africa and Zambia on this thread and on this topic. If you need guidance on the South Sudan’s predicament today, you just may not know as much as you think you do. I’ve generally referred to Africa positively and as exciting to learn about, yet you still find fault due to your narrative.
BTW…we’re done here. Bang away if you wish. Unless you, of course, wish to identify your on the scene credentials for “We Africans.”
Nah, don’t bother. I don’t believe 90% of what you say. Very little of it is positive, so of no interest to me.
Paul C. Schulte
1, May 26, 2015 at 5:09 pm
po – an thus you prove my point.
——————————————————-
That you are king deflector? You do know, I hope, that this current discussion digresses from the topic, right? And as usual, brought you by a deflection by King Deflector first of the name!
po – the new manual is not working. Go back to the old one.
Po … you did not answer my questions, vis a vis where you actually live to claim the mantle of “we Africans,”and in fact, I do not expect you to do so. I will speak of individual countries within the continent of Africa when I have some knowledge of them and do not harm the confidence of my friends there. I will refer to Africa as Africa otherwise, until I have learned more…unlike you who seems to think you already know it all. I’ve also spent time with a young student from Ghana, here on a church sponsored scholarship, who taught me a lot. Funny how he sounded nothing like you. I see Africa, in the whole, as a bright gem yet to be made wholly manifest. That you think I perceive as one “country” is purely in your imagination.
po – an thus you prove my point.
David
This has nothing to do with Boko Haram or Isis! Trying to crowbar this into the topic reflects poorly on you.
Boko Haram is the exception in Nigeria, not the rule. Nigeria is one of the world’s most populous muslim countries, yet, they have lived mostly peacefully with the Christians and animists, to the point of electing Christians as presidents! The current newly elect prez had a Christian running mate, and the outgoing prez had a Muslim running mate! That should tell you much about the country.
And do you know what BK’s origins are?
Do you know that ISIS is not present in Nigeria?
Do you know what drives BK?
How could “jihadists” purge the moderates of the country when they are such a tiny minority?
What is not talked about here is the role of the Boko Haram, ISIS, and other Muslims devoted to jihad. Nigeria has been suffering mosques being bombed and burned with many innocents killed by fire, including a Nigerian Election Commission official and his family just last month. Kano is a hotbed for these Sunni Muslims who wage jihad and seek to establish the caliphate. The jihadists are in the mode of purging moderate muslims from the nation, and hundreds of people have been killed just during the last 12 months. If I could post more than two links, I would. To give you an idea how bad it is in this West African nation, here’s a link to a google search on kano nigeria fire:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=kano+Nigeria+fire
Ari
You musta been in my mind then to know what I knew and what I did not! I did not need reread your post because I saw the Zambia mention at first read. I did not mention it in our previous discussion about racism for fear it would distract from that discussion, and that it would have been tainted by the ugly tone that one took.
I mentioned it here because it was a new topic, and because you did, again, speak of Africa generally.
I don’t understand your mention of South Sudan, what are you saying?
The difference between my usage of “Africans” versus yours of “Africa” is the difference between my saying “South Americans don’t have the same skin tone” versus your saying “South America is hot”.
While I am referring to the larger group of Africans, which forces me to use the name assigned to the plural entity, you are referring to a larger group of countries reduced to a singular entity. it is, again, like me saying, Ari is writing from North America. True, you are. However, you are not in Canada, you are in the US.
Again, I am only as adamant about what you may say as you are sensitive to my adamancy. In other words, I am offering a simple suggestion, based on the fact that Africans are generally sensitive to being lumped together (there is an African themed blog called Africa is a country, which is named exactly after the tendency of many/most Americans to think of Africa as one country), and my suggestion needed not bristle you.
(When Prof Turley wrote a blog post accusing Yahya Jammey and his country of homophobia, he made Jammey,a dictator, the president of Senegal, a democracy. My comment then was to point that out and to ask for a correction. I am still waiting.)
Now, I remember three different instances of your lecturing me for various things, which I valued, I remember not having taken as much offence to it as you are doing to my one, which, again, challenges something of what you claim about yourself.
Finally, your refusal to believe much of what I say reflects YOUR own state of mind. People are as they do, and in this realm, are as they say. You relentlessly claim openness and fairness while supporting, agreeing with or even openly courting those commentators who make comments that are closeminded, bigoted and offensive, and that says much more about you than whatever claim you make about yourself.
.
Po … when your “tone” is condescending and dismissive I question it. Most of us want to learn, yet you periodically make it a game. I’ll never understand that. If you pose specifics, without a political bent, then perhaps I will.