Radical Muslim terrorist group Boko Haram is taking its persecution of Christians and other Muslims to a new level with the recent slaughter of some 2,000 people, but Voice of the Martyrs says Christians are rock solid in their faith and even evangelizing the terrorists while the Nigerian government does little to stop the carnage.
Best known in the U.S. for its brazen abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls last year, Boko Haram is now believed to have committed by far its most heinous atrocities to date in its massacre of two thousand people in and around the village of Baga, Nigeria.
“Those are unconfirmed reports. The police and the Nigerian military can’t even get into the village to bury the dead and to evaluate the situation. Boko Haram has made it so dangerous. There are reports that one village was basically destroyed. All the people they could get there, they killed. They burned down all the huts in the village, so it is basically gone completely,” said Voice of the Martyrs Director of Media and Public Relations Todd Nettleton.
The population of Nigeria is effectively split between Christians and Muslims. Christians dominate the southern part of the country, while Muslims are in the north. Nettleton says the terrorist group effectively runs the northeast part of the country.
“They have actually gone so far as to declare a caliphate, very similar to what the Islamic State has done in Syria and Iraq. They’ve said, ‘We’re going to run this territory according to Sharia Law. I’m the caliph. I’m the leader of this part of the country. They basically have set up their own little country,” said Nettleton, who believes Boko Haram admires and emulates what the Islamic State forces are doing in the Middle East.
He says there are tremendous similarities between the two terrorist groups and Boko Haram is every bit as violent as their counterparts in Iraq and Syria.
“Most of the time the Islamic State has told the Christians, ‘You have to go or you will be killed,’ so they’re giving them an opportunity to leave. Boko Haram seems to be going more directly towards violence. We haven’t heard the opportunity where they’ve announced, ‘The Christians have to leave or they will be killed.’ They simply go in. They’ve attacked churches, they’ve killed pastors and other Christians in Northern Nigeria,” said Nettleton.
As evidenced by the slow response to the recent slaughter in Baga, Nettleton says the government has done very little to push back against Boko Haram.
“So far, the Nigerian government has not been able to stop them. They have not been able to respond militarily or police-wise,” he said.
And why not?
“There are very different stories. There are some who say the government just doesn’t want to do this. There are others who say that the government can’t, they don’t have the capabilities. I even heard from some who said, ‘If this Christian president is deposed and a Muslim president comes into power Boko Haram will go away because what they really want is for a Muslim to be in charge of the country,” said Nettleton, noting that Boko Haram is a major issue in the upcoming election between incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and his Muslim challenger.
“They both say, ‘Elect me. I can handle Boko Haram. I will get this problem solved,'” said Nettleton. “We’ll see which one the voters believe.”
Nettleton says the decision to attend church is far different than the one we make in the U.S.
“Even to hold a church meeting in the area controlled by Boko Haram is an act of incredible courage because you realize, ‘If I go to church on Sunday, I’m going to be at a place that’s going to be targeted and I’m going to paint a target on my own shoulders,” he said.
Despite the years of intense Boko Haram persecution, Nettleton says the courage and faith of Christians there remains very strong.
“They do keep following Christ. They do keep meeting together with other believers and some even continue to evangelize. They continue to share their faith with the people around them, which is pretty amazing that they would do that under such risks,” he said.
He says the faithfulness and boldness of persecuted believers has even led to heart changes among some terrorists.
“We have met former radical Muslims in Nigeria who even attacked and killed Christians, who then came face to face with Jesus Christ and are now serving Him faithfully. They’re reaching out to fellow Muslims, sharing the gospel and inviting them to know Christ. These people, even as they’re committing these atrocities, are not beyond the reach of God’s grace. We can be part of the battle for their souls by getting on our knees and praying for them,” said Nettleton.
Voice of the Martyrs is very active in Nigeria. Programs include medical care for those injured, Bibles for believers, counseling and training for pastors and assistance for the many Christian widows there.
“We need to understand this is a spiritual battle. Because it’s a spiritual battle, we can be involved in the fight, even from 10,000 miles away. We can get on our knees. We can pray for the nation of Nigeria. We can pray for our Christian brothers and sisters there and pray that God would move,” said Nettleton.
