Pressure mounts for Rubio to flag Nigeria for Christian persecution
Christians attending a worship service in Nigeria Associated Press / Photo by Sunday Alamba

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., continues to push for the Trump administration to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern over rising religious persecution. Moore described systematic persecution of Christians living in the West African country during a Monday interview. Islamic terror groups beyond Boko Haram are discriminately targeting and killing believers in horrific numbers, Moore said. About 7,000 Christians have been murdered for their beliefs just this year, the congressman said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made the same petition weeks earlier by introducing the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act. The statute called for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern and sanction leaders for enforcing sharia law.
What would happen if Nigeria was designated a country of particular concern? U.S. security and assistance programs to Nigeria would be seriously restricted if the country were redesignated, Moore said. Countries flagged on the particular concern list usually face both economic sanctions and non-economic policy changes to encourage those countries to end their religious persecution, according to the State Department. Current countries of particular concern include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Is this a sudden rise in violence? Nigerian Christians have long faced violent persecution. Global Christian Relief reported that at least 4,000 Christians in Nigeria are killed by extremists each year. The Christian aid group Open Doors reported that over 16.2 million Christians across sub-Saharan Africa, including a large number of Nigerians, were driven from their homes by violence. Groups like the Fulani fighters and Islamic State West Africa Province, along with Boko Haram, kill many Christian men and kidnap and sexually batter women, Open Doors reported. More Christians are martyred in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world, the group added.
Dig deeper: Read Onize Oduah’s report for more on Islamic violence against Nigerian Christians gaining Western attention.

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