Akinola

From Christianity Today Library Online...


Wednesday, March 22, 2006
WelcomeNear the end of February, Christians in Onitsha, a southern Nigeria town, struck back. Days earlier Muslim mobs had rioted over the Muhammad cartoons published last fall in Denmark. The mobs killed dozens of Christians in three northern Nigeria towns. The reprisal violence by Christians in Onitsha claimed dozens of their own victims. Relations between Muslims and Christians, already strained by years of conflict in Africa's most populous nation, further deteriorated.One day before the reprisals, Peter Akinola, the influential Anglican archbishop and president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), released an ominous statement. "May we at this stage remind our Muslim brothers that they do not have the monopoly of violence in this nation," Akinola warned. "Nigeria belongs to all of us—Christians, Muslims, and members of other faiths. No amount of intimidation can change this time-honored arrangement in this nation. CAN may no longer be able to contain our restive youths should this ugly trend continue."I wondered if there might be any correlation between Akinola's words and the reprisals. So I called Akinola last week and spoke with him for about 15 minutes. He strongly denounced any suggestion that his words prompted the violence. Akinola reaffirmed his commitment to peace, but warned again that he will lose the ability to dissuade Christian youth from violence if Muslims' attacks on Christians continue without government intervention.Look for that interview in a forthcoming issue of Christianity Today. For now, Will Reaves further explores Nigeria's history of religious conflict in this week's Featured Topic.
Collin HansenAssociate Editor,
Christianity Today
E-mail: CTLibrary@ChristianityToday.com