Nigeria
Across Africa, hijab in schools divides Christians and Muslims
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 15, 2021
(RNS) — Some religious experts believe hijab should be banned from schools to create a learning environment free of religious influences.
Nigeria’s blasphemy laws are the religious freedom crisis no one is talking about
By Frederick A. Davie and Tony Perkins — February 5, 2021
(RNS) — The United States needs to incentivize the Nigerian government to uphold religious freedoms enshrined in the West African country's constitution.
State Department adds Nigeria to list of most serious religious freedom violators
By Adelle M. Banks — December 9, 2020
(RNS) — The State Department redesignated nine other nations as ‘countries of particular concern’: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Trump curbs immigration for 6 nations in election-year push
By Colleen Long and Nomaan Merchant — January 31, 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Friday that it was curbing legal immigration from six additional countries that officials said did not meet security standards, as part of an election-year push to further restrict immigration.
State Department cites religious freedom violators
By Adelle M. Banks — December 20, 2019
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The department redesignated on Wednesday the nine other countries that had been categorized as ‘countries of particular concern’.
Alarmed African churches demand end to persistent xenophobic attacks in S. Africa
By Fredrick Nzwili — September 24, 2019
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — As the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa dies out, churches in the country and others on the continent are demanding an end to the persistent problem, affecting economic migrants in one of Africa’s biggest economies.
Anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria threaten precarious balance of faiths
By Anthea Butler — August 8, 2019
(RNS) — In this West African nation, religion stands at the intersection of a divisive colonial history and a current political crisis caused by drought and land scarcity.
In northern Nigeria, Muslims and Christians take small steps toward reconciliation
By Doreen Ajiambo — June 7, 2019
(RNS) KAMPALA, Uganda — Muslims and Christians in Nigeria have started small-scale attempts at reconciliation after years of ethnic and religious conflict.
Muslims, Christians in Nigeria pray for peaceful elections, disagree over candidates
By Doreen Ajiambo — February 15, 2019
(RNS) — As elections approach, Nigeria's Muslims and Christians disagree over which presidential candidate to support, while both faiths pray for peace.
Women’s network builds bridges amid Nigeria’s violence, Muslim and Christian mistrust
By Festus Iyorah — December 7, 2018
ABUJA, Kenya (RNS) — In Nigeria, an interfaith group of women is working to build peace between Muslims and Christians.
In Nigeria, fears that a crackdown on Muslim group will court another Boko Haram
By Ali Abare Abubakar — September 24, 2018
ABUJA, Nigeria (RNS) — Muslims on the ground and experts in Washington worry that the detention of a Shiite cleric and the killings of his followers will provoke the Islamic Movement of Nigeria into waging war.
Africa, home to growing number of Christians and Muslims, contends with atheists, too
By Yonat Shimron — August 27, 2018
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Across Africa, groups have emerged stressing science and critical thinking as a better way of understanding the natural world.
Cardinal to African faith leaders: Negotiate peace with terrorists
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — June 8, 2018
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — As violence-torn Africa grows weary of solutions that haven’t worked, Nigerian Cardinal John Onaiyekan is proposing a controversial alternative.
Photos of the Week
By Kit Doyle — May 26, 2018
(RNS) — Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s gallery includes images from England, Texas, Hong Kong, Brazil and more.
Lone Nigerian captive refused to convert for Boko Haram
By Sam Olukoya — March 22, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The mother of the only Nigerian schoolgirl still in Boko Haram captivity after the extremists released 104 classmates says her daughter was blocked from boarding the vehicle to freedom with her classmates and told to convert to Islam.
