Al-Qaeda offers to arm and train Nigerian Muslims

According to an article by the Washington Post, the leader of North Africa's al-Qaeda branch has recently offered to supply training and weapons to Muslims entrenched in conflict with Nigerian Christians. Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of the al-Qaeda branch, blatantly accused Christians for the horrid bloodshed occurring between the rival religions, and called upon all Nigerians to "push your sons into the fields of jihad to become the fighting vanguard in defense of the Muslims' blood and honor." He also stated that the violence is geared solely towards Muslims, and detests the Western media's portrayal of the events, which depict them as sectarian, tribal or economic. Accounts vary as to who ignited the most recent carnage. The state police commissioner claiming skirmishes began soon after Muslim youths set a Christian church ablaze, an assertion which Muslim leaders flatly deny.

If the North African branch of al-Qaeda honors its pledge to aid Muslim extremists, it could possibly hold dire consequences for the future of Nigeria as a whole. Al-Qaeda's intervention would only help widen the already pronounced social and religious cleavages, making the nation more divided and volatile. It could also potentially result in political change, with radical Muslims causing the collapse of the currently feeble democracy. Obviously, an increase of trained extremists would threaten the social welfare of Nigerians not involved in the religious turmoil. They would likely be vulnerable to injury or even death during the religious clashes.

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