Radical v not-so-radical

There is a fault line that runs right through the middle of Nigeria from East to West.

This is not a geological feature that causes earthquakes, but something that is just as, if not more, deadly. To the North of this wavy line, that runs through the city of Jos, the population is largely Muslim, less well educated, poorer, and less healthy. To the south, it is largely "Christian", better educated, wealthier and more developed.

At the fault-line between the two regions is a place of tension, because of the widely differing ethnic, religious and political differences. There is regular low-level conflict and sporadic outbursts of extreme violence, with gun-men opening fire in churches, and mob violence in the streets. But both sides commit atrocities. Already 2012 has seen several of these attacks, including the killing of three people in a church service in Gombe.

But there is a difference between the two groups that much reporting obscures. There are moderates on both sides. Christian and Muslim leaders who are working for peaceful co-existence. But there are also radicals.

Charismatic Muslim cleric, Mohammed Yusuf, formed Boko Haram in Maiduguri in 2002. He set up a religious complex, which included a mosque and an Islamic school. Boko Haram despises Western education and wants Islamic law imposed. Many poor Muslim families from across Nigeria, as well as neighbouring countries, enrolled their children at the school. But Boko Haram was not only interested in education. Its political goal was to create an Islamic state, and the school became a recruiting ground for jihadis to fight the state. This group is behind some of the recent bomb and gun attacks on Christians, including the murders of dozens of Christians in churches on Christmas day last year. Expect to see more of this in 2012.

Those who retaliate from the other side may be radical politically or culturally. They are certainly not radical as Christians. If they were, they would search the scriptures and find no justification for responding to violence with violence. They would find commands to turn the other cheek, to not seek vengeance. They would commit themselves to God who judges justly, to suffer persecution for Christ's sake, and know that they are truly blessed through it.

Do pray for those wanting to maintain a Christian witness in largely Muslim areas. Pray that they would be truly, radically Christian in a way that brings shame on anyone who wants to use violence. Pray for the country's leaders, including President Goodluck Jonathan, as they work to establish order, and to supress the violent. And pray for those, both Muslim and Christian, who are working towards peace.