Picking sides

I'll do these in reverse chronological order and (at least partially) let you draw your own conclusions.

Religious violence kills more than 200 in Nigeria

Plateau State governor Jonah Jang said the violence was not provoked by a lack of opportunity in this rural farming community. He claimed many of the attackers were from Muslim-dominant northern Nigeria and from the nearby, predominantly Muslim nations of Niger and Chad.

"There are people masterminding this for their own selfish reasons," said Jang, who is Christian.

The Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, issued a statement Tuesday blaming the violence on "some highly placed individuals in the society who were exploiting the ignorance and poverty of the people to cause mayhem in the name of religion."

Jos is not alone in being shaken by religious violence. In July, an extremist group known as Boko Haram -- translated as "Western education is sacrilege" -- attacked police stations and other government buildings, starting days of violence that left more than 700 people dead in northern Nigeria. Another wave of violence started by infighting in another Islamic extremist group left at least 38 people dead in December.

Still, nearly all violence caused by extremist sects comes from intensely local politics or grievances -- not any call for holy war against the West.

I particularly like the "...not any call for holy war against the West." The word you're looking for is JIHAD, but nice try soft-soaping it. Also, they don't seem to read their own article; the previous paragraph, for bleep's sake, talked about Boko Haram (not the first I've heard of them, either) a.k.a. "Western education is sacrilege". What is that if it's not "holy war against the West"?

That was a few days ago. The headline now is:

At least 150 Muslims reported killed in Nigerian town

JOS, Nigeria — An international human rights group is calling on Nigerian officials to investigate reports that at least 150 Muslims were killed in a central Nigerian town.

Human Rights Watch on Saturday cited reports of a massacre in a town located south of Jos, where fighting broke out between Christians and Muslims about a week ago.

Witnesses said that armed men attacked on Tuesday and that some of the victims were burned alive. One official said that the bodies of 22 young children had been recovered.

Muslim leaders told Human Rights Watch at least 364 people have been killed in the last week, while the Christian death toll was still being compiled.

Look at the sources: human rights (ha!) group using numbers from "Muslim leaders" while Christian deaths numbers were conveniently unavailable. "One official said that the bodies of 22 young children had been recovered." WHAT official?! The opening sentence "calls" for officials to look into this, so who the hell are they talking about? Note also the standard use of atrocity images; burned alive, children, etc. It's a rough neighbourhood and these things are possible, but this is sloppy and sensationalistic hack journalism with an agenda. The agenda is apparent from tracking the changing versions of the story.

Islam has spread by the sword from the beginning, and it's inherent in its' teachings that it's a primo way to do it. Submitting and paying the "second-class-citizen tax" (jizya; check the Koran) is an option, but then economic and social coercion finishes the job that the sword begins.

In Nigeria at least the Christians haven't forgotten how to fight back. They don't want to be putting their arses up in the air for Mohamed five times a day, and I don't blame them. Our media shows which side they're on with their treatment of stories.

As might not be obvious, I dislike any kind of religious idiot, and I don't like the Christian fundamentalists any more than the Muslim ones. That said (and I've said it before) if I have to pick a side I'll put the old cross of St George on the front plate of my body armour and go down shooting before I'll let Sharia take over my country. I have that much in common with the Nigerian Christians on their "bloody border" with Islam.