Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

June 2015 – More than 70 churches were destroyed in January in Niger as Christians in the 98% Muslim-populated country were associated with the Charlie Hebdo publication and targeted for attacks. Christian homes, schools, and orphanages were also looted and burned down. In the capital city of Niamey, 1,000 Muslim rioters spread destruction throughout the city, undeterred by tear gas used by security forces.

“This is the greatest loss the Church in Niger has suffered in recent history,” a worker with Open Doors USA said. “These attacks will have long-term effects on the small community of believers. A large number of local Christian families have lost everything they have labored for their entire lives.”

In neighboring Nigeria, children have also suffered at the hands of Muslim terrorists.

Due to continued attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria, an estimated 800,000 children have been displaced from their homes, according to a UNICEF report titled “Missing Childhoods.”

“Children have become deliberate targets, often subjected to extreme violence – from sexual abuse and forced marriage to kidnappings and brutal killings,” the UNICEF report reads. “Children have also become weapons, made to fight alongside armed groups and at times used as human bombs.”

The terrorist group targets schools, and Nigeria now has the world’s highest number of children absent from primary school. Half of all 1.5 million Nigerians who became refugees in the Islamic uprising are children.

worldwatchmonitor.org, 1/20/15; cnsnews.com, 4/13/15