Muslim riots destroyed 18 Christian churches, 20 homes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Muslim riots destroyed 18 Christian churches, 20 homes*
Nigerian catastrophe triggered when Christian brushes off Muslim's
'advances'
Posted: September 29, 2006
Voice of the Martyrs
An investigation has revealed that the Muslim riots that destroyed 18
Christian churches, 20 homes owned by Christians and dozens of Christian
shops in the Nigerian city of Dutse happened after a Christian girl
rejected a Muslim boy's advances.
The riots erupted after the boy accused the girl of "blasphemy" to the
prophet Muhammad.
Now word comes from Voice of the Martyrs that the investigation shows
nearly 5,000 Christians were displaced and 40 Christian shops destroyed
in the capital city of Jigawa state.
"After an Islamic young man made several unsuccessful advances on
Jummai, a female Christian, he angrily reacted by calling her a fake
Christian who follows a 'useless Jesus,'" the VOM report said.
"Jummai responded by telling the boy he followed a 'useless prophet –
Muhammad'," the report said. "Furious, the Muslim boy raised alarm
through the town by proclaiming that a Christian lady blasphemed
Muhammad. She was quickly taken to the local police station where she
was kept in custody to diffuse the potentially volatile situation."
After several hours, the Muslim returned to the police station with a
"militant band of friends" and incited them to attack police by alleging
the woman wasn't being punished after her "insult" to Muhammad.
At least six Christians were injured in the resulting riots that
destroyed churches, homes, vehicles and shops, officials said.
The government ended up imposing a nighttime curfew and deploying
soldiers in tanks and trucks to deter further mayhem, officials said.
Voice of the Martyrs also said Aderemi Ogunmola was one of the
Christians who was caught in the violence, and was captured by the
Muslim militants to be beaten and slashed. They doused him with gasoline
but he fled before he could be killed.
Rioters also ransacked the Christ Apostolic Church and while Pastor
Adeyinka was trying to flee in his car, they stopped him and burned his
car as he escaped.
Voice of the Martyrs said it is mobilizing workers to help repair the
damage at Calvary Life Church, Divine Life Church, Assemblies of God
Church, Living Faith Church, Christ Apostolic Church, The Apostolic
Church, Ecwa Clinic Church, Presbyterian Church, Anglican Cathedral,
Celestial Church and others.
The Christian aid organization Barnabas Fund said the conflagration
destroyed two-thirds of all Christian churches in the area, including
St. Peter's Anglican Cathedral, and there were reports that the state's
governor himself was attacked when he tried to calm the mob.
The Barnabas Fund noted Muslims already were in an uproar worldwide
because of a recent comment from the pope where he cited a historic
document that describes Islam as violent.
"There have been attacks against Christians in the Palestinian
territories, Somalia and Iraq," the group said.
The comments from the pope that have left the Muslim world calling
either for his death or his conversion to Islam came as he quoted
14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and
there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to
spread by the sword the faith he preached," the pope quoted, according
to a CNN report.