Arewa foundation urges balanced global response to religious violence in Nigeria
By Adam Muhammad, Gusau
The Arewa Peace Foundation has called on the international community particularly the Government of the United States and its allies to adopt a fair, evidence-based approach when addressing the complex realities of religious violence and insecurity in Nigeria.
The call was made by the
Founder and President of the Arewa Peace Foundation, Bashar Maianguwa in a statement issued to newsmen in Gusau Sunday.
According to him, over the past decade, Nigeria has endured unprecedented humanitarian and security crises, Terrorism, armed banditry, and sectarian tensions have claimed tens of thousands of lives across faiths and regions.
He further hinted that, public debate both within and outside Nigeria often misrepresents this tragedy through a narrow, one-sided narrative that unfairly portrays Muslims as aggressors and Christians as the only victims.
According to him, an independent research and on-ground data consistently reveal that a significant majority of victims of Boko Haram, IS-affiliated groups, and criminal bandits in northern Nigeria are themselves Muslims.
"Entire Muslim communities in Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kaduna States have been devastated".
He stated that a Prominent Muslim clerics such as Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam (Kano, 2007), Sheikh Muhammad Auwal Albani Zaria (2014), Sheikh Umaru Hamza Dan-Maishiyya (Sokoto, 2007) and many other prominents Islamic Scholars were assassinated for preaching against extremist ideologies.
"Their deaths, and the countless civilian casualties that followed, are stark reminders that terrorism in Nigeria targets Muslims and Christians alike, but yet, global discourse rarely acknowledges these losses. When Christian victims are attacked, headlines appear instantly".
"When Muslim villages are burned or clerics are murdered, international silence prevails. "This imbalance fuels distrust and undermines collective peacebuilding". He said
The Arewa Peace Foundation urged the U.S. Department of State, European Union, and United Nations agencies to apply the same standards of human-rights advocacy to all victims of violence regardless of faith.
The foundation maintained that, Selective condemnation breeds resentment and weakens international credibility.
"We further note the inconsistency in some Western policy circles that criticise domestic security operations in Nigeria while providing limited accountability for the global flow of arms and funding that sustain extremist networks. Constructive engagement should be grounded in data, not ideology".
The foundation maintained that Nigeria remains a sovereign democracy, noting that they are welcoming collaboration based on respect, mutual interest, and transparency but reject any external attempt to politicise religion or undermine our constitutional institutions. Genuine partners must focus on supporting education, counter radicalization, and community resilience programmes that benefit all Nigerians.
The foundation then called on faith-based organisations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), to reject inflammatory rhetoric and work jointly toward credible peace initiatives. Nigeria’s strength lies in coexistence, not confrontation.
"Violence in Nigeria is not a contest of faiths; it is a collective tragedy demanding unified, rational response".
Bashar Maiunguwa stated that the world must resist the temptation to simplify our pain for political convenience, noting that true friendship from abroad will be measured by fairness, empathy, and the courage to tell the whole truth.
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