Nigerian Army Attacks Mosques, Schools, Homes; 600 Dead in Conflict

From July 27 to 30, 2009 Nigeria witnessed some of the most brutal scenes in its history. For decades, the Nigerian military has been trying to crush Islamic challenges to its policies of westernization and links with Israel but this one broke all records of military brutality.

An Islamic leader named Yusuf, from the city of Yobe, called on the people of Islam to stop the westernization of Nigeria. He got a great response and the Islamic movement he led set up mosques in 4 cities with its headquarters in the city of Maiduguri way up in the northeast. The military saw the emergence of this new force as a threat to its links to the U.S. and Israel.

The president of Nigeria, nominally a Muslim, signalled the army to go ahead with the massacre of Muslims while he left the country for a trip to Brazil. An entire armored division was set in motion to attack the Islamic movement in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Maiduguri. In Kano, the brutal regime demolished the major mosque where the Islamic people would meet. In Maiduguri, the Islamic people defended the mosque with whatever they could pick up, like sticks and stones, daggers and machetes, even bows and arrows. These were no match for the military's ruthless use of machine gun fire followed by mortars, artillery and tanks.

The people gave their lives willingly and the army, parts of it secularized, Christian and animist, had no qualms in slaughtering the Muslims. At least 500 Muslims were killed by the army, at least 100 in the mosque which Yusuf attended in Maiduguri. This mosque too was demolished. They didn't have a chance as the kafir military broke into the prayer area.

In Bauchi, the Muslims responded by attacking government offices, police buildings and churches before the army arrived to crush them. In northern Nigeria, the regime has been setting up churches funded by western powers and giving property to southern Christians to dilute the 100% Muslim population.

The religious establishment in Nigeria is firmly in the hands of the government. "Muslims" get elected to high positions but these upper class Muslims never protest when the army kills poor Muslims. These rich Nigerians are the sort of Muslims the Egyptian president Mubarak has on his side. When Mubarak kills Muslims, al-Azhar supports him; Al-Azhar condemns the Islamic movements like al-Gamaa. The same is now happening in Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has launched a big propaganda campaign to cover up the brutality which the army has inflicted. The Islamic movement is being labelled "Nigerian Taliban," a term which could also show the Ameirican-Israeli hand behind this action. The religious establishment is not questioning the government but is claiming that those killed by the army were "not Muslims." [Compare with Swat, Pakistan where the Pakistani generals claim that the mujahideen are 'Indian agents."]

Part of the propaganda was that the Islamic movement had abducted 180 women and children. Even BBC and al-Jazeera reported this, but as the report continued, it noted that the 180 were the wives and children of the men defending the mosque. In such situations, the Islamic victims have no media and their enemies can say whatever they want.

Late news: July 30: The Nigerian military announced that the Islamic leader Muhammad Yusuf was captured and SHOT DEAD WHILE IN CUSTODY. This is a crime under any law and the Nigerian military commander should be brought before an international tribunal.

July 31: A direct report from Nigeria broadcast by NPR says that many of the leaders of the "Nigerian Taliban" were university people who sacrificed their careers to join Muhammad Yusuf to stop the advance of western materialism.

Pan African Newswire