Imagine knowing that the very act of going to a religious service would likely result in violence and death. It has happened here in the United States but, mercifully, is not the norm, even as vandalism on churches is on the increase. In Nigeria, churches have been sent letters warning them to shut down or face “ferocious” attacks. That’s some Christmas card. And it may be thanks to the United States that they were sent. Just before Thanksgiving, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to arrive in Nigeria as part of his tour of Africa, Nigeria was cruelly and infuriatingly removed from the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” for religious freedom by the U.S. State Department.
Christians in Nigeria rightfully feel abandoned by the United States. In a distressing new video released by the Religious Freedom Institute, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza, of northeast Nigeria, says he finds the perplexing move to de-list Nigeria “really disheartening.” “All Christians in Nigeria are feeling very bad about it,” he adds, because the violence may be worse than it ever was.
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