'Persistent killings': Christians flee deadly attacks in Nigeria

[icymist]

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Hundreds of Christians have begun fleeing northern Nigeria after dozens were killed in a series of attacks by Islamist militants who issued an ultimatum to Christians to leave the mainly Muslim region or be killed, witnesses said on Saturday.

A Nigerian newspaper on Tuesday published a warning from Boko Haram, a movement styled on the Taliban, that Christians had three days to get out of northern Nigeria.

Since the expiry of that ultimatum, attacks in towns in four states in northeastern Nigeria have left at least 37 people dead and hundreds of Christians are fleeing to the south, according to residents and a Red Cross official.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45909621/ns/world_news-africa/

[icymist]

1. Article warning Chirstians to leave on Monday:

Islam terror group tells Christians: Leave north Nigeria or be attacked

Christians have been warned by a militant Islamist group to leave northern Nigeria or be attacked, according to media reports.

Abul Qaqa, a purported spokesman for Boko Haram, said the terror group was “giving a three-day ultimatum to the southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria to move away”, the English language Vanguard newspaper reported.

The group has been linked to many attacks on Christians, most notably the bombings on Christmas Day killed 49 people, most of them at a Catholic church as services were ending.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101415612

[Kurmudgeon]

2. Boko Haram, the next Al Qaeda? Who's next when they run out of victims in Nigeria?

[icymist]

3. I think Boko Haram is differant than Al Qaeda.

Attacking an entire people in a country, not the country itself is a different MO.

[cheapdate]

5. "Global caliphate", huh? Oh my!

[saras]

9. Indonesia is really depressing - we can't blame it on the West there

Traditional Indonesian syncretic religions have been largely replaced by Islam. Even so, moderate Muslims all through Indonesia are fighting the rise of radical fundamentalist Islam there.

I think the best way of understanding it is to see it as not unlike Christianity here. A religion with a long history of both liberal and reactionary politics is currently being run by an extremist reactionary minority, and moderate Muslims no more know how to fight extremism while retaining human rights than we know how to defeat Christian extremism here in America. We're failing miserably at it. And so are they.

[Mosby]

8. Do you think this is funny?

are you at the right website?

[Mosby]

7. Goodluck Jonathan is losing control

of his country. He needs to get serious about the Boko Haram group.

[madrchsod]

10. the Coptics are having the same problem in Egypt.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

11. Pretty Soon

Christians will not be able to live in Majority Muslims countries anymore.

[JCMach1]

13. And we have the Saudis and their money to thank for this...

and their continued support of Muslim fundies of all stripes around the world...

[JCMach1]

12. The difference in Nigeria is the Christians are quite likely to retailiate soon...