A few November headlines from the ongoing jihadist-genocide of Christians in Nigeria follow. Coptic Christians suffer the double injustice of living under systematic discrimination by the Egyptian government, and also from regular members of Egyptian
Five Christian girls in Nigeria’s Kano state were recently violently harassed by Islamic police who blocked them from going to church and who threatened they might kill them, saying: “Israel is killing our sisters in Gaza,” International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Upholding individual rights and preventing overreach by any law enforcement agency, including religious police forces, is paramount. The administration must reaffirm the constitutional principles that guarantee citizens' freedom of religion, expression, and privacy. The looming question on the minds of many Nigerians is whether the Tinubu government will confront the challenges posed by the Hisbah, a controlling religious police force operating in northern Nigeria.
Personnel of the Hisbah Police in Borno State have shaved off the hair of some youths in the state for being "unIslamic." They were also punished for dressing in ways the officials consider to be offensive to Islam. According to the state deputy commandant, Mallam Abdurrahaman Musa, the Islamic police decided to shave their hair because the hairstyle was against “the norms and values of the people of Borno State." Despite condemnation from Nigerians, the Hisbah group has continued its push for an Islamic agenda in the North.