For years, Western evangelical activists and politicians have circulated a dramatic claim: “Muslims are committing a genocide against Christians in Nigeria. ”It is repeated in churches, missionary conferences, U.S. political speeches, and social media campaigns. Senator Ted Cruz even pushed legislation against Nigeria — not on humanitarian grounds, but to pressure the country to abandon Sharia and blasphemy laws. But when we move past emotions and slogans and examine facts, data, and motive, the narrative collapses.

To legally call something genocide, there must be:

1. A coordinated plan
2. Intent to wipe out a religious group.
3. State involvement or state approval.

No international body, UN report, or independent field study supports this accusation.

What the evidence actually shows:

• Violence in Nigeria affects Muslims and Christians.
• In Northern regions, Muslims are often the majority of victims.
• Conflicts are driven by banditry, land disputes, politics, and insurgency, not religious extermination.
• Extremist groups like Boko Haram kill more Muslims than Christians.

Even Western analysts admit it:

“Nigeria’s violence is not a Christian genocide but a multidimensional conflict.”— International Crisis Group

Yet the accusation continues — louder than the data allows.

Three motives stand out:

1. Evangelical Mobilization

Victim narratives fuel:

• U.S. church donations.
• Missionary funding International pressure on Muslim states.
• Portray Muslims as “killers,” Christians as “martyrs,” and donations flow.

2. Breaking Northern Muslim Resistance

While Southern Nigeria is majority Christian, Northern Nigeria is majority Muslim and historically resistant to evangelism. To evangelicals, the North is the “final frontier.” Attacking Sharia and Muslim governance removes barriers to missionary campaigns.

3. Political Leverage for Western Influence

Label a Muslim population “genocidal,” then demand:

• Sanctions
• Intervention
• Imposition of Western-style laws
• Weakening of Islamic legal systems

It’s not about saving lives — it’s religious geopolitics dressed as human rights.

Ted Cruz’s bill wasn’t only about “protecting Christians.” It targeted:

• Sharia courts
• Blasphemy laws
• Islamic governance in Northern states

Why? Because weakening Islamic law promises easy missionary access. They say: “We just want religious freedom.” But what they really want is: Freedom to dismantle Islamic legal authority and evangelize Muslim populations.

Islam teaches justice for all — including Christians. “Do not let the hatred of a people cause you to be unjust.”— Qur’an 5:8

We condemn all innocent killings — Muslim or Christian. But we also reject fabricated narratives used to attack Islam.The Prophet ﷺ warned: “Whoever lies to harm a Muslim is in the Fire.”— Sahih Ibn Hibban

Muslims must expose false accusations — not surrender to them.

Nigeria’s tragedy is real. Innocent Christians have died. Innocent Muslims have died. But calling it “Islamic genocide” is:

• Factually false
• Politically motivated
• Islamophobic in impact
• A gateway to anti-Sharia intervention
• It turns Muslim suffering invisible — while weaponizing Christian suffering to undermine Islam.

There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is:

• A complex security crisis
• Extremist violence harming both Muslims and Christians
• A political effort to weaken Sharia and open Muslim regions to missionary control
• A propaganda campaign framing Muslim self-governance as “persecution”

Islam does not fear scrutiny — but Islam rejects slander. Nigeria doesn’t need foreign missionaries or foreign policy sermons. It needs justice, stability, and respectful coexistence — not weaponized narratives.

“Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is bound to perish.”— Qur’an 17:81

References:

1. ACLED Nigeria Conflict Data

2. International Crisis Group Reports on Nigeria

3. US Institute of Peace — Nigeria Briefing

4. UK House of Commons Library — Nigeria Religious Freedom Report

5. Al Jazeera — “No, there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria”

6. Nigeria Government Response to US Claims

7. Senator Ted Cruz Statements on Nigeria