Christian perceptions of Islam and society in relation to Boko Haram and recent events in Jos and northern Nigeria

Bibliographic Data

ID20074699
AuthorsHenry Gyang Mang (corresponding author)
Year2014
Pages85-109
Publication date2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueBoko Haram (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherIFRA-Nigeria (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/books.ifra.1780
OpenAlexW3183234386
ISBN9791092312546
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited12

The rhetoric on and around religious conflict in Nigeria has revolved around the two main religions of Christianity and Islam. Although the growth of the two religions in the country has afforded them the latitude of being instruments for broad national negotiations, the growing diversity within them has led only to growing antipathy between their adherents. This has been further worsened by the emergence of Boko Haram, a phenomenon which has not only added new perspectives to the discourse on religion and national unity in Nigeria, but has also encouraged strong desires for reciprocal action among those affected by the movement’s violence, and a growing militancy within various agencies of Christianity. This work gauges the various perceptions and perspectives of Christians towards Islam in contemporary Nigeria, considering factors such as identity, geography, and the growing dynamism in Christian belief and doctrine concerning ‘the other’. It argues that there are four main divisions into which Christianity in Nigeria has evolved based on issues surrounding Islam. These divisions (Conservative Hierarchical, Conservative Egalitarian, Liberal Political, and Radical) have presented various reactions based on their histories and present predicaments. And although it cannot be conclusively argued that Christians have a single, general point of view on Islam’s ‘bloody corridors’, the increasing violence, which has affected Christians, has created an atmosphere in which the rhetoric can easily slide towards calls for revenge, even when there is no true logic for it

Antipathy · Christianity · Islam · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access