Posted on 02/26/2006 2:45:33 PM PST by Pikamax
ONITSHA, Nigeria — Mobs stopped killing and looting in this battered Nigerian city on Thursday and turned to disposing of the evidence in the crudest of ways.
With smoldering bonfires fueled by pieces of wood and old tires, men burned the remains of their Muslim victims on downtown streets, leaving charred remains that motorists swerved to avoid.
As the city's thousands of surviving Muslims struggled to return to their northern homes or huddled at police stations, Christian residents expressed little remorse for their role in five days of religious violence sparked by anger over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
At Onitsha's ruined central mosque, one of two reportedly destroyed Tuesday, Ifeanyi Eze, 34, picked up a piece of charred wood and scrawled on a wall: "Muhammad is a man but Jesus is from above."
On the blackened walls of the abandoned mosque itself, others had written "No Muhammad, Jesus Christ is Lord."
Eze expressed anger at Muslims for last year's terrorist attack in London and other troubles. "We don't want all this mosque any more," he said. "These are the people who cause problems all over the world ... because they don't fear God. We don't want Muhammad anymore."
Nigerian authorities have not announced a definitive death count, but witness accounts made clear the dead in Onitsha numbered at least 42 and perhaps far higher. The Civil Liberties Organization, a respected independent group in Nigeria, meanwhile, said its volunteers had counted more than 70 bodies over two days in Onitsha. They also witnessed police gathering bodies for disposal.
Deaths in other Nigerian cities totaled 50 from five days of religious rioting, according to news reports, and many Nigerians were bracing for what they feared would be more retaliatory attacks.
The violence has revealed yet again the deep ethnic, regional and religious differences in Africa's most populous nation, split nearly evenly between a Muslim north and a Christian and animist south. In the past decade, Nigeria has seen at least 20,000 deaths from political, ethnic and religious violence.
Nigeria is home to more than 200 distinct ethnic groups drawn together in a volatile mix by European colonial mapmakers in the 19th century.
The recent rioting began Sunday in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where Muslim mobs attacked churches and Christians. The violence spread to a second northern city, and then to the mostly Christian, southern cities of Onitsha and Enugu.
The violence was most intense and widespread here in Onitsha, alongside the historic trading route of the Niger River. It has has long been a commercial center.
Though the city is considered part of the homeland of the heavily Catholic Ibo ethnic group, thousands of northern Muslims, mostly members of the Hausa ethnic group, have moved here in search of work.
Muslim refugees, mostly from the Hausa ethnic group of northern Nigeria, described how mobs of Christian men wielding guns and machetes burst into shops, looted goods and money, then began attacking.
The Muslims fled on foot, mostly across the bridge over the wide Niger River. Some were caught, cut to death and burned. Others, said survivors, were thrown into the river.
Government health crews began collecting the bodies near the bridge Wednesday afternoon. Police removed many others in the city, according to witnesses.
Yet some bodies remained. A few yards from the corpse of a charred man, lying naked on his back in the middle of the road, a group of Onitsha traders said they had no choice but to attack the Muslims living here.
"We have to retaliate," said Justin Ifeanyi, 24. "It is a shame to us if we don't kill them."
And Jesus wept.
And wept and wept for his followers to stoop to the same level.
Anybody remember stories in major papers about the Muslim rioting and killing that sparked these reprisals? I didn't think so. It's only a story if Christians are killing Muslims.
And Christian pacifists will be the death of us all.
You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Just as but one example as to why the Christians are just now retaliating in the past few years... the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The northern government several years ago tried to impose Sharia law, and it's at that point you started seeing these uprisings.
It's sad, but inevitable in the name of survival, it seems.
> And Jesus wept.
And Loki laughed, while Thor scratched his head trying to figure out which side was stupider.
Baa-aa-aaa-aa-a-aa.
Jesus Christ was not prohibiting self defense by Christians. He also said, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace." (Luke 11:21 RSV).
All very nice, but I am an Old Testament, eye for an eye kind of person.
Well, they did report that the Nigerian Muslims got all riled up and burned 15 churches and killed quite a few people. It is true that our media ignored the suppression that was going on in Nigeria for a very long time. It really didn't become news until the Christians started fighting back.
That's why I count on forgiveness so much.
While I agree with you in principle, have you ever been to Nigeria?
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