Nigeria's mix of Religion and Politics

The depictions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad that came about in September of 2005 caused tremendous controversy throughout the entire world. A Danish newspaper commissioned12 cartoonists to draw the Prophet, and because of this, there were outbreaks everywhere that involved Muslims throughout the world who were extremely angered by this. One place in particular whose effects where especially drastic was Nigeria. There had always been ethnic and political tensions from the Muslims in the North and the Christians in the South, but this event caused these tensions to reignite to the extreme.

An article by the Herald Tribune describes the scene as: "Dozens of charred, smoldering bodies littering the streets..."

Homes, businesses, and mosques have been burned by Christians in response to the violence the Muslims have been inflicting on them. It is said that these riots had been the worst violence that was linked to the caricatures. Nigeria was the country that was hit the worst by the violence that grew from the drawings, with over 100 deaths in a single week. It amazes me to see what length people will go to defend something that they believe in with such strength, and in these cases, violence. The losses that have come about from the situation are extremely unfortunate, and we can only wish that one day violence will not be the answer to anything.