EVOLUTIONARY TREND OF RELIGION INSPIRED CONFLICTS AND VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA: THE ISLAMIC IMPACT

Abstract

A cursory look into the history of religious conflicts and violence in Nigeria easily identifies the influence of Islamic faith and its adherents in all these.  All over the world, the resurgence of Islamic violence is making negative impact.  The september 9/11 terrorist attack in U.S.A. by Islamists (Alqaeda) changed the character and magnitude of Islamic terrorism and drew the attention of the world to the evil inherent in extremism.  Since then violence traceable to Islamic religion has been recurring and spreading like wild fire.   In Nigeria, the people have had a good dose of this Islamic motivated conflicts and violence even before septeber 9/11 in the U.S.A.  In the case of Nigeria, it seems the religion has been so much manipulated by those perpetrating this evil probably to serve their own personal and group aggrandizement.  The fact that Islamic violence seem to be skewed towards the Muslim northern part of the country provokes some thoughts and permutations on the raison d’tre of this cankerworm.   This paper is set out to critically examine the evolutionary trend of religion inspired conflicts and violence in Nigeria, with special focus on the impact of Islamic faith.