The war to impose Islamic law in Nigeria through violence has claimed at least 700 more dead in new rioting. The war has been ongoing for years, pushing south from largely Muslim northern Nigeria, but also attacking non-Muslims living in lands already under Sharia. The most recent major explosion of Islamic violence four years ago in the north resulted in many Christian deaths and churches burnt. Associated Press reports on this current blood shedding:
In a wave of violence that began Sunday, July 26, in Bauchi and quickly spread to three other northern states, including Borno, the sect, Boko Haram -- the name means "Western education is sacrilege" -- attacked police stations, churches and government buildings. The group is seeking the imposition of strict Islamic Shariah law in Nigeria, a country of several religions.
Roughly half of Nigerians are Christians, living mostly in the south. Several northern states are officially under Islamic law.
35-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed, told the AP that he and his family cowered in their house for days, terrorized by knife and sword-wielding sect members -- then later by soldiers, who, he said, would shoot anything that moved.
"It was terrible," Mr. Mohammed said as he drew an imaginary knife across his throat. "At first if you run, (the sect) will knife you, and then after you run, (soldiers) will shoot you."He said he hid 17 Christian neighbors, including a pregnant woman, in his house during the fighting.
The term Harvard Professor Samuel Huntington coined in his famous Foreign Affairs essay in 1993 continues to be apt: "Islam has bloody borders." So it has been for 1400 years as Mohammad's imperative for Islamic world conquest plays on.
Oh, and in Pakistan rampaging Muslims torched Christian homes and killed six, including four women and an infant.
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