The Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC, Nigeria has debunked recent comments made by American TV host Bill Maher, who alleged that Christians are being targeted for genocide in Nigeria.
During an episode of his HBO talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, which was alleged to have aired on Friday, September 26, he claimed that “Islamists” in Nigeria had murdered over 100,000 Christians and destroyed more than 18,000 churches, suggesting an orchestrated campaign to “wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.”
In a statement issued on Monday by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, MPAC dismissed the statements as “alarmist, false, and agenda-driven,” warning that such claims are not only misleading but potentially dangerous for Nigeria’s delicate social fabric.
The organization emphasized that Nigeria’s security crisis is complex and rooted in multiple socio-political factors, not religious animosity.
“Terrorists and criminal groups have killed Muslims and Christians alike, and even those with no religious affiliation. More Muslims than Christians have actually been victims of terrorist attacks in Nigeria. Attempts to reframe this as a religious war serve only the terrorists’ agenda to divide our people,” said Disu Kamor.
The group criticized what it described as a growing trend of international figures and media platforms pushing narratives that fuel religious divisions, often without regard for the facts on the ground.
MPAC further alleged that such narratives may align with broader Islamophobic agendas, both within and outside Nigeria.
MPAC also referenced the alleged accusations made earlier this year by U.S. Congressman Scott Perry, who claimed that the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, had been involved in funding terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
MPAC called on the Nigerian government to investigate all allegations of terrorism financing and arms trafficking transparently.
The organization also drew comparisons to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, accusing Israel and, by extension, the United States of carrying out a campaign that has led to the destruction of churches and the deaths of both Christian and Muslim Palestinians.
“If those concerned about Christian persecution are looking for evidence of genocide, they should turn their eyes to Gaza, not Nigeria,” MPAC stated, citing findings from international bodies like the International Court of Justice and the United Nations.
MPAC reaffirmed Nigeria’s identity as a multi-religious nation with a longstanding tradition of peaceful coexistence.
It called on both Nigerians and the international community to remain committed to truth, reject divisive narratives, and focus on combating terrorism in all its forms, whether non-state or state-sponsored.
