Victims Of Religious Violence – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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August 22 is the 234th day of the year, and 131 days remain until the end of the year. On August 22, the globally observed United Nations observance is the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. Today is also the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Religious violence covers phenomena in which religion is either the target or perpetrator of violent behavior. All the religions of the world contain narratives, symbols, and metaphors of violence and war and also nonviolence and peacemaking. Religious violence is violence that is motivated by, or in reaction to, religious precepts, texts, or the doctrines of a target or an attacker. It includes violence against religious institutions, people, objects, or events. Religious violence includes both acts which are committed by religious groups and acts which are committed against religious groups.

Religious violence in Nigeria refers to Christian– Muslim strife in Nigeria tracing back to 1953. The present religious violence in Nigeria is dominated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. This has resulted in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The majority of victims of jihadist groups are Christians. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that, as of 2025, just under 53,000 Muslims and Christians had been killed in targeted political violence since 2009. This includes murder, as well as the abduction of Roman Catholic and Methodist clergy. In 2025, the conflict garnered international attention with United States President Donald Trump vowing military action in Nigeria if the attacks against Christians did not subside.

In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing alleged violence and an existential threat to Christians by radical Islamists. The Nigerian government strongly rejected the designation, stating it misrepresents a complex security crisis that affects citizens of all faiths.

Apart from Nigeria, whose case is notorious, other countries that are facing religious violence include Syria. Ongoing internal instability and fractured authority have intensified violence and sectarian pressures affecting various religious and ethnic minority groups.

Pakistan: Strict state blasphemy laws lead to severe legal and societal persecution of religious minorities and frequent sectarian flare-ups.

 China: The state enforces tight controls and reshaping of religious groups to conform with official ideology, targeting groups like Uyghur Muslims and underground Christian networks.

Central African Republic: Communal and sectarian flashpoints between mixed religious populations have erupted into recurring armed conflict.

 Somalia and the Sahel (Mali, Sudan): Militant Islamist insurgencies seek to impose strict religious rule, causing widespread violence and displacement.

Considering the negative impact of religious violence, especially on the victim, the United Nations General Assembly has designated August 22nd as International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

The International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief is a United Nations Awareness Day. It was established in 2019; it honours victims and survivors of religious persecution, condemns violence against religious minorities, and promotes the global right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

Today is also the Feast of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If Jesus is a king, his mother must be a queen mother. A king can only be born to a Queen Mother. As we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray for queen mothers all over the world. Aveee – Maria~! (Follow Apostle of Divine Mercy @ TikTok.com and Altar of Divine Mercy Eucharistic Adoration @ YouTube.com)