Open Doors USA President Calls on the West to 'Wake Up' to the Growing Boko Haram Carnage
SANTA ANA, Calif., May 5, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Famous Christian author and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis in 1945, wrote these powerful words: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
"It seems this is exactly what is occurring in Nigeria today….not speaking out or acting," says Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. David Curry. "A horrific, systematic targeting of not only Christians, but Muslims by the Boko Haram is taking place while the world sleeps or ignores the carnage. We in the West need to wake up and stand up for these victims now. We can't allow Nigeria to become another Syria."
In the past three weeks, approximately 230 Nigerian girls were kidnapped from a boarding school, with 200 still missing. Also, two car bombs have been triggered in Abuja, resulting in heavy casualties. The latest bomb went off on Thursday night, killing 19 and injuring 70. Last month a bombing resulted in 75 deaths.
"As the death toll mounts, we need to advocate and pray on behalf of the vulnerable faith communities in Nigeria," adds Curry. "The families of those 200 missing girls are crying out in anguish for the return of their daughters, who reportedly are being sold for $12.50 each as brides for Muslim men in Cameroon and Chad."
Nigeria is ranked No. 14 on the
Open Doors World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians. Over 1,500 Nigerians haven been killed by the Boko Haram in the first quarter of this year, according to the
Associated Press.
(For more information or to set up an interview on Nigeria with Dr. Curry, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email
jerryd@odusa.org.)
