{"id":8777,"date":"2013-08-21T20:44:56","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T20:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/boko-haram-insurgency-is-religiously-motivated-us-commission\/"},"modified":"2013-08-21T20:44:56","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T20:44:56","slug":"boko-haram-insurgency-is-religiously-motivated-us-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/boko-haram-insurgency-is-religiously-motivated-us-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Boko Haram insurgency is religiously motivated \u2013 US commission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Citizens Platform<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has described the Boko Haram insurgency as religiously motivated.<\/p>\n

The agency in a press statement on Tuesday in Washington said the terrorist group has become the primary perpetrator of religiously-related and gross freedom violations in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

The group stated that it documented the group\u2019s attacks from July 2012 to July 2013 to arrive at its conclusion.<\/p>\n

The statement reads in part \u201cBoko Haram\u2019s targets include churches, individual Christians, Muslim critics, and persons engaged in behaviour deemed un-Islamic.<\/p>\n

\u201cOthers are northern elders, schools, police stations, government buildings, newspapers, and banks\u201d, it noted.<\/p>\n

According to the agency, the International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in November 2012 and August 2013 said there was reasonable basis to believe that Boko Haram committed crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n

The USCIRF which was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad had earlier this year recommended that Nigeria be designated as a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d (CPC).<\/p>\n

The statement also recalled that the commission recommended CPC status for Nigeria since 2009, adding: \u201cBefore that, Nigeria had been on USCIRF\u2019s Watch List since 2002.”<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigeria News. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: Citizens Platform<\/p>\n

DisNaija.Com<\/b> publishes regular posts on Nigeria News,<\/a> Nigerian Newspapers,<\/a> Online Nigeria Gist.<\/a><\/p>\n

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