Such a relief to see some Christian leaders with authority and influence speaking peace into the situation rather than war.

Thanks to be God no one has died.

"They said the protest was sparked by a love affair between two persons that ended in fracas."

Apparently, the key to political spin in Nigeria is to make no sense whatsoever. The bishops and peoples of those dioceses have my prayers.

Those who remember the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960's and its consequences may hesitate at this time to offer easy fixes to deep problems.

Northern and Southern Nigeria were under separate administrations until the colonial power amalgamated them for ease of governance in 1914. The divisions that continued to flourish within Nigeria up to independence were not answered by the new Federal government.

While religions play a key role, the social, tribal and economic divisions within the Federation are all of great importance.

It is worth considering in this broader context that Peter Akinola is viewed as a moderate both within Nigeria and by those outside. This was repeated frequently to us during the time of the Lambeth Commission. In the light of his statement and the reports of what some other bishops in Nigeria have to say in the present troubles, one is left asking what contribution the less “moderate” Anglican leaders are currently making.

As tolerance gives way to increasing hostility and sectarianism, while dialogue/listening is perceived as weakness leading to syncretism or worse it might seem that the way is opening for ever increasing aggression. Matters have been escalating for some time, there is much worse to come - and soon.

Martin,
I fear you are correct. I've asked the Nigerian members of my congregation about the current state of affairs -- some of them still have family "back home" so this is not an idle question for them -- but their response has been a shrug of resignation and a general sense that a major civil war between the north and south, with a heavy Muslim / Christian and Hausa / Igbo overlay, is coming. (To say nothing of the other tribal divisions, as with the Yoruba).
We need a leadership ironically brave enough to appeal for peace!

Martin

Your comment that dialogue/listening is perceived as weakness is not unique to the Nigerian problem. In recent months I've read papers by Zionists who argue that God kept the Jews in Exodus under Moses for 40 years to teach them to embrace violence to gain their holy land (forgetting that Moses was barred from the Holy Land because he used undue force when he struck the rock). I've read pro-military Americans argue that unless violence is part of the solution, there will be no solution. I've read terrorists misrepresenting their suicide bombings as shaping politics, ignoring all the other factors (including Acts of God) that might have softened souls' hearts.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called sons (and daughters) of God". There are some excellent links on the Ekklesia website of Christian and Muslim peace makers doing great stuff despite (or perhaps because of)the provocations in Iraq.

Short term, the escalation of global violence should not make us lose heart. Anyone who has ever been involved in Conflict Resolution or Assertion or Grief training/counselling can tell you that the early stages of healing often involves "acting out" one's fears and anger.

It also involves "overshooting" whilst trying new strategies. It is not unusual to see someone who has experienced long term psychological humiliation and bullying first articulating their needs in an overly aggressive manner. Their early communications involves not just the emotional response to the current experience, but also brings up emotional baggage from previous encounters. Their "no's" verge on being screams. Their refusal to be forced into doing something can appear to be almost belligerant defiance.

However, with patience, love, tolerance and honest gentle feedback; such souls eventually "calm down" and learn to use conflict resolution skills such as assertion with sophisticated ease. In fact, in the long term, the people from the worst backgrounds often become the most adept, and the most empathetic in terms of considering the "other's" needs.

One major road block that can hinder the progress from excessive assertion to sophisticated negotiation is when the parties develop a "victim" mentality. Such a mentality is used to justify overly aggressive assertion and to dodge responsibility for their actions (the latter group often say it's okay that they are being abusive, because someone was abusive to them before). They would do well to contemplate Louise Hay's point that abuse happens at a point in time, however we choose whether to still be a victim of that abuse 10, 20 or 30 years down the track. On a group level, refusing to move on and repeating "tit for tat" means that abusive behaviour never becomes a thing of the past.

For the lovers of violence, military strategy and adrenalin junkies; peace is an anathema. They will provoke, destroy and incite, because in a peaceful world where guns are replaced with hoes; there is no legitimate place to act out their lusts.

Still no word from ++Akinola?

I fear that I must with great regret agree with those expecting another civil war in Nigeria (with the lines somewhat different this time) -- Nigeria desperately needs a Gandhi or Mandela or Tutu -- doesn't seem to be one on the horizon so far, sadly (but there is lot going on that one never hears about & I devoutly hope that I am very wrong).