"Donald Trump's crusading threat to invade Nigeria and save Christians from Islamist terrorists is typical attention-seeking. Surely even he must realise that unilateral US military intervention would invite disaster. And he's got his facts wrong. The threat of Islamist terrorism is real, but it affects Nigerian Muslims as much, if not more, than Christians. There's no evidence of genocide, contrary to the alarmist claims of US far-right internet warriors."
"Trump's intervention was about politics, not faith. In speaking out, he was massaging a key domestic constituency, not acting from genuine, God-fearing concern for our cherished Christians in a land he's never visited. Christian nationalist votes helped clinch Trump's two presidential victories despite the obvious insincerity of his professed beliefs. His support among white evangelical Protestants is much higher than the average 72% in April, compared with 40% among all US adults."
Donald Trump's threat to invade Nigeria to save Christians was framed as attention-seeking and politically motivated rather than a genuine humanitarian response. Unilateral US military intervention would invite disaster and the factual claim of genocide lacks evidence. Islamist terrorism in Nigeria affects Muslims as much as, or more than, Christians. The intervention aimed to curry favour with Christian nationalist voters who strongly supported Trump, with markedly higher backing among white evangelical Protestants. Political leaders have long exploited religion for legitimacy, from Constantine to medieval popes, Henry VIII, Japan's Shinto emperor, the House of Saud and contemporary authoritarian figures seeking obedience and influence.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]