American rapper and musician Nicki Minaj addressed a United Nations event on Tuesday, November 18, to draw international attention to the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj, invited by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, stressed that Christian communities in parts of Nigeria are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. The artist thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for prioritising this issue and calling for urgent action to defend Christians and combat extremism in the West African nation.
President Trump has previously designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” for religious freedom violations and has warned of potential military action if the Nigerian government fails to stop the violence.
Ambassador Waltz, who introduced Minaj, stated that she was leveraging her platform as a “witness” to show the gravity of the issue to her millions of followers.
Minaj’s participation follows her public support for President Trump’s social media posts on the violence in Nigeria. She stated that her motivation was to unite humanity in the face of injustice;
protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity – Minaj
Minaj stated that churches have been burned, families torn apart, and entire communities live in fear “simply because of how they pray”.
U.S. officials and religious freedom advocates argue that the violence constitutes targeted persecution and genocide, demanding international intervention and greater accountability from the Nigerian government.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has rejected the claims of state-backed religious persecution, arguing that violence stems from complex issues like terrorism, banditry, and resource conflicts that affect both Muslim and Christian citizens. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has stressed that the country’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and that the claims are often based on misinformation. The African Union has also cautioned the U.S. to “think twice” before making such statements, noting that Muslims are often the first victims of groups like Boko Haram.
Leave a comment