FIRST ON FOX – The Biden administration faces pressure from many human rights and religious groups for its failure. designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (“CCP”) for the brutal murder of more than 200 Christians last month.
In a letter addressed to the secretary of State Antony Blinkentwo dozen interest groups, including Advancing American Freedom, Alliance Defending Freedom, the Hudson Institute, former Ambassador Sam Brownback and former defense and national security officials, have reprimanded the State Department for his “refusal” to designate Nigeria as CCP – calling the lack of action “unconscionable”.
“Less than two weeks ago, nearly 200 Nigerian Christians were martyred while celebrating Christmas. According to one account, these Christians were “killed for sport.” A few weeks earlier, the Christian Association of Nigeria received a letter threatening them not to celebrate Christmas,” the letter sent on Monday said.
“The international religious freedom community is outraged by your refusal to hold these evil acts accountable,” he continued.
WORLD LOOKS ANOTHER WAY AS CHRISTIANS ‘KILLED FOR SPORT BY JIHADISTS’ IN NIGERIA
People flee following an attack by gunmen in Bokkos, north-central Nigeria, on Tuesday. (PA)
The letter notes that the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), a Nigeria-based nonprofit, found that more than 52,000 Christians have been killed and more than 14 million Christians have been forced to flee Nigeria since 2009.
During the same period, Intersociety also found that 18,000 churches and 2,200 schools were attacked, according to the letter.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Swimming Pool)
On January 4, Blinken announced that he had designated a series of countries, including Iran and Russia, as CCP, but Nigeria was notably left off the list.
The letter said that “hours” after Blinken’s announcement, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) requested a congressional hearing and that international religious freedom advocates “publicly criticized” his decision.
Family members gather on December 27, 2023 to bury their loved ones killed by armed groups in Plateau State, central Nigeria, in the village of Maiyanga. (Kim Masara/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
USCIRF is a commission of the federal government created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and consists of commissioners appointed by the president and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders.
Nigeria, which is a Boko Haram hub, was added to the list under the Trump administration but has been excluded since 2021.
According to the Pew Research Center, Nigeria has the largest Christian population of any country in Africa, with more than 80 million believers.
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“The eyes of the world look to the United States as a beacon of hope and freedom. Religious freedom is rooted in the American foundation, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and essential to what it means to be American,” the letter said. .
“When the United States remains silent while evil is unleashed, the world notices,” he concludes.
