Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj has boldly stood behind President Donald Trump's claims that Christians in Nigeria are facing persecution. "In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted," Minaj declared at an event organized by the US on Tuesday, adding, "Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart... simply because of how they pray."
This statement follows Trump's recent threats to send troops into Nigeria "guns a-blazing" if its government "continues to allow the killing of Christians." Analysts, however, argue that there is no evidence to suggest that Christians have been specifically targeted in Nigeria.
Jihadists and other armed groups have waged campaigns of violence that affect all communities in the West African nation, regardless of background or belief. The Nigerian government has repeatedly emphasized this point since Trump made his comments, describing them as "a gross misrepresentation of reality."
Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, stated that calling for the protection of Christians in Nigeria was "not about taking sides or dividing people... but about uniting humanity." She added, "This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It's about what I've always stood for," while standing alongside the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz.
The 42-year-old rapper thanked Trump for "prioritizing this issue and for his leadership." However, the Nigeria government pushed back on these claims, describing them as "a misrepresentation of reality." It did not deny that there was deadly violence in the country but said that "terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike."
Other groups monitoring political violence in Nigeria say the number of Christians who have been killed is far lower, and most victims of the jihadist groups are Muslims. The country's 220 million people are roughly evenly split between followers of the two religions, with Muslims in the majority in the north, where most attacks take place.
Minaj described Nigeria as "a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions" and even acknowledged her "beautiful Barbz" - her fans - in the West African country. Waltz thanked the rapper for "leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria."
On Wednesday, Nigeria police in south-western Kwara state confirmed a deadly attack on a church in the town of Eruku, where gunmen opened fire on worshipers the previous day, killing two people and abducting several others. Local media reported that armed men, identified by residents as bandits, stormed the Christ Apostolic Church during an evening program on Tuesday evening, shooting the pastor and rounding up worshipers at gunpoint.
Images and short video clips - believed to be from the church's CCTV cameras - have circulated widely online, showing terrified worshipers scrambling for safety, including an elderly woman seen desperately trying to escape the gunmen. For months, right-wing campaigners and politicians in Washington have been alleging that Islamist militants are systematically targeting Christians in Nigeria. However, analysts say deadly disputes are often over vital resources like land and water or fueled by inter-ethnic tensions, rather than religion.
Minaj previously cited her fanbase, known as the "Barbz," as a reason for her intervention, saying online, "The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We've been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose." Last year, she publicly revealed that despite moving from her native Trinidad to New York at an early age, she still does not have US citizenship. Her appearance at the UN on Tuesday is her highest-profile political intervention to date.
Her comments during the pandemic for sharing disinformation about side-effects of the Covid vaccine - claiming that when a friend of her cousin had the jab
