Israel - Iran Conflict:Religion Has Blinded Many Nigerians Beyond Reason
By: ' ```Biodun Ogundiran``` .
One of the most dangerous cancers eating deep into Nigerian society today is religious bigotry. We have sadly reduced every global event into a matter of religious loyalty, even when facts are screaming otherwise.
Since this recent Israel -Iran crises started, I have been amused with the way Nigerians are reacting each time they hear of bomb landing on Israel or Iran. You will see every Akeem, Musibau, Nuru, Abdul'anything', Taofeek etc passionately throwing their weight behind Iran and almost jubilating when Isreal was hit, just as James, Mathew, Cornelius, Ephraim, Mathias, Peter etc blindly align with Israel and show happiness when Iran was hit by Israel . But the irony is glaring: neither Iran nor Israel is what many Nigerians ignorantly think they are.
Let us start with Iran. Iran is not even an Arab country. It is predominantly Persian in ethnicity, and the major language spoken there is Persian (Farsi), not Arabic. Many Nigerians assume they are Arabs just because they are Muslims, but that's not the case. Even more, Iran leads the Shia Islamic sect, which is often at odds with Sunni Islam — the dominant version practised in countries like Saudi Arabia. The kind of Islam most Nigerian Muslims practice is Sunni. So, before shouting 'Muslim brotherhood' for Iran, understand that doctrinally, many Iranian Muslims don’t share your exact beliefs. Most Muslims in Nigeria align with Saudi Arabia.
Now let’s look at Israel. Contrary to popular belief among many Christians in Nigeria, Israel is not a Christian nation. It is predominantly Jewish, and Jews practice Judaism — not Christianity. In fact, Christianity and Islam are both minority religions in Israel, and interestingly, Muslims outnumber Christians there. Shocking? It gets even more interesting: Iran, a so-called 'Muslim country,' actually has more Christians than Israel. Yes, you read that right.
Yet, what do we often see? Many Christians support Israel blindly because Israel is in the Bible or because of a mistaken belief that it’s a Christian country. On the other hand, many Muslims support Iran out of assumed religious solidarity, thinking Iran's fight is theirs to defend — without truly understanding the complexities of the Middle East or the doctrinal divides within Islam itself. Very soon, some crop of almanjiris would start demonstration in the North in solidarity with Iran. Ignoramus.
To make matters worse, Arabs — not Jews or Christians — make up a significant percentage of Israel’s population. There are more Arabs in Israel than there are Christians. And if you think evangelism is easy in the so-called Holy Land, think again. Preaching Christianity in modern-day England is far easier than doing the same in Israel. Isreal only knew Jesus as a prophet who came to impersonate the Messiah they were expecting, and they killed him for that. Lobatan.
But none of these realities seem to matter to the average Nigerian who has traded critical thinking for religious sentiment. Many have chosen to view complex geopolitical conflicts purely through the lens of their religion. They don’t care who is right or wrong, who is breaking international laws, or who is acting justly. They simply pick a side based on religious identity.
This kind of thinking is not only shallow, it is also dangerous. It blinds people to the truth and removes the most important thing that makes us human — empathy. Supporting any side in a conflict should never be about which side shares your religion but about who upholds justice, fairness, and respect for human life.
If the only reason you support Israel is because it is mentioned in the Bible, or because you think it's a Christian country, then you are not supporting based on truth — you are simply a religious bigot. If the only reason you support Iran is because they are Muslims or because they stand against the West, yet you don't understand their ideology or internal oppression, then your support is based on ignorance, not justice.
The Middle East crisis is complex, rooted in history, politics, territorial disputes, and power struggles—not in any way near religion. Nigerians must educate themselves beyond emotional religious biases before picking sides in a conflict they barely understand. True humanity demands that we stand for what is right, not just what aligns with our faith. Let’s stop reducing global issues to simplistic religious divisions. Knowledge, not sentiment, should guide our perspectives.
Catherine Perez-Shakdam, a French girl, claimed to be a Muslim, openly converted to Shiism, wrote in praise of the revolution, and defended the rule of the jurist, until her articles appeared on the website of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.
But behind the masks... Mossad's eyes were watching from within. Catherine did not enter Iran as a traditional spy, but rather as a writer, journalist, and thinker.
She got close to politicians, sat with the Revolutionary Guard, met with Ebrahim Raisi, and visited sensitive areas under the cover of "journalistic research."
But the most dangerous thing was in the women's salons... She got close to the wives of officials, military personnel, and scholars, built deep relationships with them, and made them trust her as if she were one of them. They spoke with her freely about their husbands, their places of residence, their travel schedules, their movements, and the details of their daily lives.
Every word was recorded, every piece of information was transmitted. With this information, some of their locations were pinpointed, and assassinations took place one after another... in the minds of women, and with innocent words that she had no idea would lead to the murder of their husbands.
When suspicion began to circulate around her, she left Iran, before the doors were closed. But she had completed her mission with complete success, and contributed to dealing painful blows to Iran.
🟡 @NEWWORLDORDYR
Comments
Post a Comment