Deborah Yakubu, a Nigerian Christian, was lynched by Muslim fellow students in 2022
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has released a new contribution by Professor Yusufu Turaki, a renowned Nigerian theologian, to its ongoing essay series, “Persecution and the unity of believers.”
The essay series, initiated by CSI’s President Dr. John Eibner, brings together reflections from Christian leaders across traditions on the urgent reality of anti-Christian persecution and the need for Christian unity in response. Previous contributions include an introductory essay by Dr. Eibner; the series’ inaugural essay by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; a response by Dr. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury; and an essay by Archbishop Angaelos, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London.
In his essay, “The Quest for Comprehensive Protection of Persecuted Christians in Northern Nigeria,” Professor Turaki provides sobering field evidence and analysis from one of the world’s most dangerous regions for Christians. While endorsing Cardinal Koch’s vision of martyrdom fostering spiritual unity, Turaki highlights the complex effects of systematic persecution, which can both strengthen Christian solidarity and weaken faith.
The essay documents how persecution has produced paradoxical results: in some areas, violent persecution has weakened faith and forced Christians into what Turaki calls “dhimmitude”; submission to Muslim overlords. Yet elsewhere, it has deepened Christian commitment and achieved what decades of ecumenical dialogue could not, with Catholic and Protestant Churches now issuing joint statements through the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Significantly, Turaki argues that Christians facing existential threats must consider not only the spiritual heritage of martyrdom but also lawful and peaceful forms of resistance. “We must reject both unconditional pacifism and vigilante violence,” he writes. “The goal is not aggression but preservation of Christian communities through legitimate means.”
Yusufu Turaki is Professor of Theology and Social Ethics at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary and Bingham University in Nigeria. He has spent decades documenting the systematic persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria and is a leading voice on religious freedom in Africa.
The full text of Professor Turaki’s essay is available now on the CSI international website.
