Editorial: A reminder in Africa that the religious freedoms we take for granted are fragile
But this growth is coming at a cost. Unlike their counterparts in the U.S., African Christians increasingly risk violent death for their beliefs.
Nigeria, home to one of Africa's largest and fastest-growing Christian populations, has also become one of the world's deadliest places to practice the faith. On June 13, about 200 Christians were massacred by a group of jihadists in Yelwata, a town located in Benue State, which is almost entirely Christian. Most of the victims were internally displaced people sheltering at a nearby Catholic mission, many of them women and children.
This tragically is not unusual in Nigeria. During Holy Week, more than 150 Christians were killed in targeted attacks across central Nigeria. Some watchdog groups estimate that more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed by Islamist extremists since 2009. The State Department reports that fatal attacks in Nigeria are ongoing.
Moreover, in this violent region, the atrocities aren't limited to Christians. Innocents of all faiths fall victim to militants, including members of the Muslim faith, which is also growing rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa. Some reports estimate that tens of thousands of moderate Muslims also have been killed by extremists in Nigeria, reflecting the broader toll of militant violence.
Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, a Catholic leader in Benue State where the atrocities occurred, testified in March before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, pleading with officials to take notice of what's happening. He described his home as 'one of the most dangerous and insecure places for Christians,' and his testimony came months before the June 13 attack. He noted that villagers sometimes are warned in advance of attacks and that even if they contact police for protection, no help comes and the slaughters happen anyway.
'Constitutionally, we are a secular country, but our unity has been fragile,' he said. 'We live in fear because at any point, it can be our turn to be killed. But to remain silent is to die twice, so I have chosen to speak.'
Pope Leo offered a timely prayer for Nigeria during a June 15 address in St. Peter's Square. 'I pray that security, justice and peace prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country that has suffered various forms of violence,' he said.
We do not know the sort of fear of which Bishop Anagbe spoke because we live in a country that believes in the right to religious freedom.
It's why we find alleged hate crimes such as the May slaying of a young Jewish couple, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, in Washington, D.C., so devastating. We feel as if we are shielded from the sectarian violence that afflicts other parts of the globe by virtue simply of being American and when hate-based violence occurs here, that confidence is undermined.
The First Amendment protects our religious freedoms, hardly limited to the three great Abrahamic religions, but it doesn't guarantee them. We write this not only to spotlight the horrors others face for expressing their faith, but to remind ourselves that America's religious liberty is rare, fragile and worth protecting.
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