A friend sent me an article about recent slayings of 200 Christians in Nigeria. He was very upset that Muslims had done this. But of course at the end of the article after the media "shocked you" into reading, you find that this violence has been going on for awhile and in January 150 Muslims were killed in the town of Kuru Karama. Muslim officials say that a over 350 Muslims were killed in that week alone.

The media as usual is really ticking me off here. One LONG explicit article about the 200 Christians, but only a snippit on the Muslim death toll. Even the titles are obviously one sided. "Attack on Nigerian town kills hundreds" as apposed to "Christian-Muslim violence in Nigeria warrents probe, rights group says"

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/03/08/nigeria.violence/index.html?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/01/23/nigeria.massacre.probe/index.html?hpt=T2

What I see here is one example after the other of how there would be less violence in the world without Islam in it.

What *I* see is an example of how there would be less violence in the world without religion in it, period.

You say that there would be less violence without Islam based on this story? Let us not forget the other half of the story where Christians slaughtered the Muslims. I'm not saying that justifies retaliation killings, but I do think you have over-simplified things.

Frankly, it could just as easily, based on this story, to say the world would be less violent without Christianity.

Here is some quick information about the situation in Nigeria:

(collected from BBC.com)

-Deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and 2010

-More than 2,000 people have been killed in communal violence in Plateau State since 2001.

-City divided into Christian and Muslim areas

-Divisions accentuated by system of classifying people as indigenes and settlers

-Hausa-speaking Muslims living in Jos for decades are still classified as settlers

-Settlers find it difficult to stand for election

-Settlers are banned from taking some positions in state government and the state does not pay for their education, meaning these groups feel discriminated against.

-Communities divided along party lines: Christians mostly back the ruling PDP; Muslims generally supporting the opposition ANPP

-Unscrupulous politicians will often do anything to get elected, or remain in power - such as whipping up ethnic or religious hatred and driving groups seen as supporting rival candidates from their homes to stop them voting.

Although i have no direct knowledge of the Nigean conflict, I have found most conflicts in Africa have more to do with tribal divisions than relgion.

ManaJean seems to confirm this by references to

Divisions in economic status, language and political power are important throughout Africa.