Dear Editor,
In your July edition (p7) you republished an article from Release International about the sad rise of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria. The article used the term ‘Fulani militants,’ and was accompanied by a stock photo of a Fulani man.
While these attacks are tragic, this term, commonly used in Nigeria, adds to the perception that ‘Fulani’ is a synonym for a jihadist or terrorist. The situation is complex – the Fulani are a large people group who are spread across many countries in West Africa. Among them, as with other ethnicities, are both victims and perpetrators of violence. Islamic extremists and others are exploiting deep-seated ethnic divisions for their purposes, particularly the historic mistrust between arable farmers and nomadic herders.
The small number of Fulani believers are caught in the middle of this – persecuted both for their ethnicity and for their faith. This use of ‘Fulani’ as a synonym for a jihadist extremism doesn’t help them.
Yours sincerely,
Name and address supplied
