A lot has been going down in the country of my birth, multiple deaths, the fuel subsidy , unrest and so much more.   I know a lot of Nigerians are focused on the fuel subsidy issue which is a real issue because this affects everything that occurs in the day to day life of EVERY Nigerian, including Nigerians in the Diasporas.   But, my thoughts are more on the boko haram issue, particularly since these attacks seem aimed towards Nigerian Christians living in the Northern part of the country. 

To understand this issue fully, I invited  Dr.Chukwuneke, who is one of the leading voices of CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria - an organization that houses all denominations of churches in Nigeria) and also is currently based in Nigeria.   These are the questions addressed:

What is boko haram  and what are they about?

We really don't know much about them.  We believe that they are sect of Muslim fundamentalists.  They believe that the Northern part of Nigeria belongs to them.  They don't want education or western dressing and they associate Christianity as coming from the West and so they want to clear off every christian so Christians can go with their western values and education.  They are a bunch of criminals and they are wicked and even Muslims that are true worshippers, condemn them as criminals.  They've been going around killing people.   They've been asking Southerners to go back to the South.  This shows how shortsighted they are because in the South we have Muslims .  We have so many Muslims that have settled in villages in the south, this [the South] is all they know.   We see a lot of this in the South East and South West. 

What is really their issues with Western values?

Their problem is that they believe the shariah teachings about dressings.  A woman has to dress a particular way so that men won't be attracted to them.  They believe that we should not have two people [a man and woman] on a bike.  They believe it is an obscene sight because it can arouse sensuality.  So women should dress in a way  to arouse men.  They shouldn't study western knowledge, only Koranic education.  You know that western education gives you freedom to study whatever you want to study.  You can dress anyway you like but within  a certain guideline if you are a Christian but they don't want those kinds of things.

You did mention that there are Muslims that are followers of Islam and they dont' accept this violence?  What are they doing about this?

This has been on for more than 4 years and it has never escalated to the level it is now.  Initially, they were trying to push it to unemployment and Christians kept on telling them it is not a problem of unemployment but criminality.  Then they wanted to use the situation in the Niger delta to their advantage , so these youths in the Northern part started clamouring for the kind of education offered to Youths of the   but the scenario is different, you see the country has been using their resources [Niger Delta] without giving back to them and this is the first time the country is focusing on developing these youths [Niger Delta].  So why will they start clamouring to have the same kind of package.  But, now, some  of their governors are now coming out to say that the boko harams are criminals and whoever is caught will be treated as a criminal when they are caught.

It is interesting that many of the boko haram seem to use the Islam as a reason to do what they do.  Is there a place within Islam that states that one should go and kill?

Basically, the early teaching [of Islam] believed in the Mosaic law of an eye for an eye but towards the end of Prophet Mohammed's life, he told them that it is more blessed for you to forgive than for you to retaliate but his teaching before then was that if you are trying to get people into your religion and they won't change - then  kill them or force them but towards the end of his life - he changed his orientation. The issue is that the people who believe in that orientation which is more like the teaching of Isa (which is Jesus Christ), is a sect within the muslim community which believes in Jesus Christ's teaching particularly in that area that has to do with forgiveness, peace than an eye for an eye.  There are many who tell you that they say peace be unto you, yes they say it, but do they live it?  It all depends on the sect that you are dealing with.   For those that believe in an eye for an eye, regardless of how long it takes to get revenge, they will get their revenge. But the [caveat] is that it has to be of equal measure but the question is how does one measure?  It all depends on who the teacher is.

 Listen to the podcast for more.  This Is An Excerpt.

What should be the Christian Response to these things going on?

It is extremely difficult to keep preaching to people to turn the other cheek.  It is becoming extremely difficult to continue preaching that.  The national president said he does not know how to keep on telling Christians to turn the other cheek, the only thing he can tell people is to protect themselves.  The issue is how do you protect yourselves against bomb blasts?  We are weak in a sense that we are up against what we don't know but I know that this country is a country that belongs to the lord Jesus Christ and if this country has remained in tact this long, it means that God does not want this country to disintegrate.  So, all I can say to fellow Christians is to run away and the question becomes where does one run to - stay away from crowd, stay in your own home and in a familiar environment.  There are many tips that are given.  Listen to your radio, watch television, protect yourself by prevention.  How do you tell someone not to go to church?  You can see that churches have become the target.  People have to learn to worship in their home.  I don't know.  We used to enjoy so much freedom in this country but these people have messed up our whole lifestyle in this country.

Some comments I have been seeing on social networking sites is that maybe the country should be split around religious lines?  Do you think that this kind of violent situation calls for the splitting of the nation?

It is not as easy as people tend to think.  You know during the civil war, the Igbos were chased out of the North.  So many families were dislocated, many people were killed, I lost my family members through that war, so many people still carry the scar from that time.  When they went home, those that were in the East, those that were used to living by themselves, started struggling with their relatives regarding land, homes, properties, so that became a problem, so many people could not find a place to stay.  So how will people, who donot belong to their community, go to a total cultural background to go and settle by force and now make that place their new home.  It isn't an easy thing.  There are parts of Owerri, there are villages where you find mostly muslims, these muslims have lived in that place for centuries.  In my own family, my grandmother wedded in Kano, gave birth to my mother in Kano, I was born in Kano but when this thing happened, my whole family went back to the East. It wasn't an easy thing to adjust.  You are talking about an Adamawa, or Gombe Christian who doesn't speak Yoruba or Igbo and you ask them to move back, how will they survive?  Who will give them land to stay in?  Nigeria is a special country that we should not allow to disintegrate.  Rather, we have given responsibility to a person to maintain the security and integrity of the nation.  So that person should use whatever facility to make us safe wherever we are.  So, now our Northern brothers from Kaduna will now vacate their homes.  How can?

Listen to the podcast for more.  This Is An Excerpt.

How will it affect other countries on the continent?

I don't see other nations standing to watch this happen.  Just one state in Nigeria is bigger than many African countries both in size, population and budget.  Where will Nigerians go to as refugees? It will be a world disaster if this occurs.  Who will feed them?  You know that Nigeria has been the one absorbing refugees from other countries.  Nigeria cannot afford to scatter  - it will be very disastrous to all African countries and the world in general.  I don't believe big countries like Britain will stand by and watch Nigeria get to that level.  If Britain won't let that happen, I don't see the United States accepting it.  I am also aware that the United States has been in this country assisting in some areas.  I know the Isreali security are here but I don't know how free they are with their work.   What I will expect is that the government of this nation will hand over the security of this nation to them.  Since they don't know who is who - they will deal with them decisively.  Because if it is just Nigerian inteligence, I am sure that there are some involved in that have connections to the security of the nation.  If Nigeria can close their eyes and superimpose the CIA and Isreali security - let them lead them for sometime and then this nonsense will end.

Listen to the podcast for more.  This Is An Excerpt.

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