Nigerian Churches burned, members killed

I noticed a small prayer request in a church newsletter, "Plea from our brothers and sisters in the Church of the Brethren, Nigeria: "Please pray for all Christians in northern Nigeria, more especially in Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno States. Pray for peace in Nigeria and these places." 13 churches have been burned (including EYN Maiduguri Wulari anf EYN Jajer), and 50 Christians have been killed since Monday in Maiduguri." No date on the request, so I didn't know what Monday, and I hadn't seen anything in the papers, and haven't caught much news. So I checked Google, and found a lot of stories at Christian sites. It apparently happened on July 27.

"At least six churches were destroyed in the last few days in Northern Nigeria as a result of the violence by members of a radical Islamic group. Militants of the group Boko Haram, which translates to “western education is sin,” have damaged at least half a dozen churches across four states ruled by Sharia, or Islamic law, according to Open Doors sources. A Baptist church was burnt to the ground in Potiskum, Yobe state. Another five churches were reportedly burnt in Maiduguri, Borno state. Moreover, the Christian ministry has learned that unlike what the government is saying, the number of deaths may be over 250 people. The official figure is about 50 deaths. This past Saturday, the group Boko Haram, also known as the Nigerian Taliban, launched a series of attacks in Bauchi state against police stations and state facilities in Northern Nigeria. The violence soon spread to three other states: Borno, Yobe and Kano states.

Another site said churches in Bauchi were not torched. I looked through about 40 stories, all reporting the killing of Christians, even one from Japan. Finally I got to the New York Times account, which reported clashes between the police and a fundamentalist Muslim group, and that the cause was economic problems. Muslims lashing out at Muslims. The Times reported that people died, but not that they were Christians. Nice touch. It's the economy, not ethnic hate. If the roles had been reversed, I wonder what the headlines would have been?

Update in 2015 on Boko Haram: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-horror-of-boko-haram-1432163481?mod=rss_opinion_main