The Africa Review in Five highlights African current affairs from a Christian perspective. Listen and subscribe through Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Today is Tuesday, June 27th, A.D. 2023. This is The Africa Review in Five, written by Paul Schlehlein and presented by Yamikani Katunga

The Killing Ground

This Sunday in northwest Nigeria a man was stoned to death by angry Muslims after he supposedly blasphemed the prophet Muhammed. The video shows a large crowd that included children pelting Usman Buda, a butcher, with stones. By the time the police arrived, Buda was unconscious and was later pronounced dead. The guilty parties will almost certainly escape justice, as is almost always the case. 

This is not an unusual occurrence in Africa, especially in the Muslim-dominated area of northern Nigeria. The population of Nigeria has over 200 million people, evenly divided between Muslims (primarily in the north) and Christians (primarily in the south). The organization named  International Christian Concern estimates that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria alone in the last decade. It has also called Nigeria “the biggest killing ground of Christians in the world.” 

It’s not only Christian citizens that are killed, but often the pastors that are martyred. The details about religious persecution in Nigeria are horrific, as described by the organization Genocide Watch. Here are some sample headlines: “2,543 Christians Killed by Jihadists in January-June 2022” or “48,187 Christians Murdered Since July 2009 Boko Haram Uprising in Nigeria” or “Attack on Church in Southwest Nigeria Kills 82 Worshippers.”

Open Doors ranks Nigeria as the 6^th most persecuted nation in the world. Four African countries are in the top ten: Somalia (#2), Eritrea (#4), Libya (#5) and Sudan (#10). Islamic groups like Boko Haram, ISIS, and Fulani herdsman are the main culprits. The Heritage Foundation has documented some of their atrocities, recounting how they “raid villages and kill Christian men, women and children, and babies with AK-47s and machetes.”

Persecution Beyond Nigeria

Christian persecution continues to extend far beyond the Nigerian borders. Just last week Muslims stormed Katikara Anglican Church in western Uganda, hacking at least one church member to death, who was leading the church in a prayer session. This sounds similar to Paul’s “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings” in 2 Corinthians 6. 

At the same time in Kenya, five men were beheaded by the Somali-based, Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab, an Arabic phrase meaning “the Youth”. This is according to persecution.org.

In response to such horrible persecution, how should Christians think about this? Believers should avoid three attitudes. First, Christians shouldn’t be surprised by persecution. Long ago Scripture promised Christians that they would suffer hardship. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, “All those who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted.” Almost all of the 12 apostles were killed for their faith. Church history is littered with Christians that were martyred in the Colosseum, upon crosses, and at the stake. 

Second, Christians shouldn’t think that Christian persecution was only in the past or in faraway places. Open Doors claims that more Christians were persecuted in the 20^th century than in all the other centuries combined. It wasn’t only Asian tyrants that carried out these murders, like Mao Zedong and Pol Pot, nor did the killings come only from the bloody hands of Europeans, like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. These Christian martyrs also died at the hands of African dictators like Robert Mugabe and Idi Amin. The whole world will suffer persecution. Remember Jesus’ words in John 15, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”

Finally, Christians should not seek retaliation or revenge. This is a key difference between Christianity and Islam. When a Muslim thinks Muhammad has been blasphemed, they often lash out in violence. The followers of Christ are the opposite. Romans 12:14 gives this imperative, “Bless those who persecute you.” Jesus modeled this on the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Stephen responded the same way as he was being stoned to death. For believers, it is actually a cause for rejoicing when they are counted worthy to suffer for Christ.

And that’s it for The Africa Review in Five on this Tuesday, June 27th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe to the Missionary Minds podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts. I’m Yamikani Katunga. Be not weary in well-doing.