Never Forget
On a day when the world saw again how evil terrorism can be after the killing of 49 innocent people at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla., members of the The Church Without Walls in Houston got a reminder of how quickly other victims can be forgotten.
A mother of one of the missing Nigerian girls visited the Houston mega-church to tell of her nightmare and how her faith in Jesus Christ has sustained her throughout the entire ordeal.
The missing Nigerian girls, kidnapped in their school dormitory have become yesterday’s news in an era in which radical terrorists constantly attack innocent people who do not subscribe to their radical religious views.
According to BringBackOurGirls.us, “On April 14th (2014), 270+ school girls were kidnapped from the Chibok Government School by Boko Haram Terrorists in Nigeria. Approximately 230 are still missing.”
In a country where education for girls is frowned upon, terrorists kidnapped both Christian and Muslim female students.
The girls were taken and forced to convert to Islam, marry their captors or face a certain execution.
Luckily, some of the girls were able to escape from the Boko Haram kidnappers.
The homepage of StandWithNigeria.org speaks volumes.
It features the anxious face of one of the Nigerian girls with the caption, “fractured and forgotten.”
According to StandWithNigeria.org, Christians represent 30 percent of Nigeria’s northern population and for decades the Christian community in that country has faced discrimination.
“Nigeria has experienced the largest increase in terrorist deaths (more than 300 percent) from 2014-15, with 7,512 fatalities in 2015,” according to the organization’s website.
Furthermore, in a 14-year span (2000-14), 11,500 Christians were killed because of their faith, 13,000 churches were abandoned, closed or destroyed and 3 million Christians have been displaced.
No one is being insensitive to the 49 innocent people who lost their lives in Orlando, Fla. or their grieving families.
But if one could have heard the testimony of this mother of one of the missing Nigerian girls, it would make them not only give to the victims in Orlando, Fla., but also open their wallet and give to StandWithNigeria.org.
All grief is a horrendous pain to bear, whether an American or a Nigerian feels the pain.
However, with news outlets having usually only 30 minutes to inform people about what’s happening in the world around them, some news stories get old quickly or are pushed to the side for other reasons.
It is incumbent on the Black press and the Christian press to continue to keep the story of the missing Nigerian girls in the forefront of the world’s consciousness.
That is not to divert attention from the atrocities in Orlando, Fla.
People, please give to those suffering from that horrendous shooting.
Praise the heroes who put their lives on the line to return to the club in order to bring shooting victims to safety.
Please pray for the full recovery of those suffering from injuries.
But, many people can walk and chew bubblegum at the same time, even if mainstream media does not have time to because of time restrictions.
Please, also give to help those trying to bring back home those missing Nigerian girls.
Because June 12 proved that no demographic is safe from radical extremism and terrorists.
