Urge National Unity Amid U.S. Warnings on Christian Persecution
KANO — Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), commonly known as the Shi’ite sect, staged a peaceful street protest in Kano on Saturday, denouncing U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats of military intervention over alleged failures to protect Christians from violence.
The demonstration, which unfolded without incident and in coordination with local police, drew hundreds marching through key thoroughfares with placards decrying the remarks as “propaganda aimed at igniting religious strife.” Protesters dragged effigies of Trump and symbolically trailed a U.S. flag along the ground, while chanting for interfaith solidarity.
IMN spokesperson Abdullahi Danladi branded Trump’s statements “baseless, incendiary, and perilously divisive,” accusing Western interests of exploiting Nigeria’s security woes to fracture communal bonds. “Our nation’s true afflictions stem from graft, inept leadership, and elite avarice—not faith-based animosities,” he asserted. Demonstrators echoed calls for Muslims and Christians to unite against these root causes.
Trump’s rhetoric escalated late last month when he designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations and directed the Pentagon—rechristened the “Department of War” under his administration—to prepare “fast and vicious” strikes against Islamist militants blamed for targeting Christians.
In a Truth Social post, he decried an “existential threat” to Christianity, vowing action if Abuja does not act swiftly, while threatening to halt all U.S. aid.
The threats have ignited a firestorm of backlash. Nigerian officials, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have rejected claims of a “Christian genocide” as oversimplifications, emphasizing that Boko Haram and bandit groups assail civilians indiscriminately—Muslims and Christians alike—in resource-scarce regions like the northeast and northwest.
Regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the African Union have cautioned Washington against meddling in sovereign affairs, while social media erupts with condemnations from across the spectrum.
Unlike prior IMN marches that devolved into confrontations with security forces, Saturday’s event proceeded harmoniously, signaling a maturing dynamic between the group and authorities. Political and religious figures, typically divided, have coalesced in repudiation, framing the U.S. posture as a sovereignty affront.
Yet the rally prompts uncomfortable queries: If Trump’s ire targets solely terror networks and safeguards for worship sites—irrespective of creed—why the visceral disquiet among protesters?
Ought Nigerians not embrace external bolstering against marauders who slaughter without prejudice? What stakes do opponents hold if impunity ends and bloodshed abates? And what precise grievances fuel their dissent—fears of neocolonial overreach, or something more parochial?
The Kano action spotlights the north’s acute wariness toward external critiques of its internal frictions, where faith and identity intertwine with insurgency and poverty. As public ire mounts—mirrored in viral X posts questioning the protests’ optics—analysts eye whether this unified front will temper Trump’s belligerence or embolden further escalations.
No official response has emerged from Kano or federal authorities, leaving open the prospect of copycat rallies elsewhere. In a nation weary of violence that claimed thousands this year alone, the episode lays bare the tightrope between global advocacy and domestic resilience.
