Genocide doesn’t begin with weapons, it starts with words.
I saw it firsthand in Rwanda back in the 1990s.
“Are you Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa?” asked the teacher. A confused little girl was being reprimanded for not lining up properly. The question didn’t just divide a room, it foreshadowed a genocide.
The girl’s family had never spoken of tribes, they simply believed in letting children be children. That day, however, tribalism entered her life. Soon after, her parents were killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed nearly a million lives.
What I witnessed in Rwanda decades ago echoes in today’s digital age.
Today’s tribalism hides in plain sight and it doesn’t carry machetes, it carries hashtags. Tribalism thrives in echo chambers, where social media turns strangers into enemies. It grows through cancel culture, where conversations are replaced by condemnation. It sharpens its edge with purity tests, where one mistake erases forgiveness. These aren’t harmless trends, they’re cracks that can split nations. “Othering” people puts everyone at risk.
Division begins quietly, with whispers. It ends violently, with annihilation.
<h3>Warning Signs Are Flashing Again</h3>
Before the Holocaust, the Jews were first singled out by prejudice, then by propaganda, followed by policy, and finally punishment. 
In Cambodia, intellectuals were targeted. 
In Bosnia, ethnic lines became death sentences. 
In Rwanda, ethnic identity was weaponized.
But persecution isn’t just a history lesson. History’s warnings aren’t relics, they are roadmaps. And right now, those same patterns are resurfacing. Across the globe, from Nigeria to North Korea, Christians are being targeted for practicing their faith. In the first century, Christians were burned alive to light Rome’s streets; now, in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and beyond, believers are killed en masse for the same confession of faith.
The numbers are sobering: Persecution is no longer a fringe issue. Today, more than 380 million Christians worldwide endure high levels of persecution, according to  <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List</a>. In Nigeria alone, <a href="https://ewtn.co.uk/article-56000-killed-in-nigerias-ethnic-and-religious-violence-christians-disproportionately-affected/">16,769 Christians</a> have been killed in the last four years, a tragic pattern that has persisted since 2009.
Genocide never begins with weapons; it starts with whispers, quiet laws, subtle exclusions. If we fail to remember, fail to speak, fail to act, history will not just repeat; it will escalate. And that’s precisely why I’ll be joining other faith leaders to address the growing threat to Christians at the <a href="https://www.washingtonpolicyinstitute.org/events/persecuted-and-prevailing-addressing-christian-persecution-in-the-modern-world/">Persecuted and Prevailing</a> panel at the Museum of the Bible on December 4.
The suffering of Christians, or any group, must never be reduced to a talking point. Persecution is not a partisan issue, it’s a human dignity issue. Freedom is fragile, and its defense must unite us beyond party lines.
We must teach the next generation that ignorance breeds indifference and persecution isn’t political. It’s about human dignity, justice, and the value of life.
As Hebrews 13:3 reminds us: “Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” That wisdom feels urgent today. Silence enables suffering, and ignoring persecution normalizes it.
<h3>Why I Speak Out</h3>
I speak not from theory, but from experience.
As a student in 1992, I lived in Russia as it staggered out of 70 years of enforced conformity under Communism. Freedom had returned, but trust was broken. Conversations carried a quiet grief, as an entire generation awoke to the truth that their God-given right to worship and think critically had been stolen. The devastation wasn’t only economic, it was spiritual and psychological.
That moment taught me that when lies become law and truth becomes treason, society unravels. Division doesn’t erupt overnight, it is cultivated through propaganda, fear, and silence. The lessons from Soviet Russia warn us that when words are weaponized, freedom dies long before the first shot is fired.
Years later, on the 10th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide, I stood in villages still scarred by tribalism and visited prisons filled with remorseful men and women who’d been swept into the blindness of division. I met families led by children because their parents had been slaughtered. I worked to reunite Sudan’s “Lost Boys” with any family they had left after walking hundreds of miles to escape war. I remember their faces. I carry their stories. But my children and their entire generation don’t. They scroll headlines and hear fragments, but they don’t feel the weight of what I saw. That’s why I speak, and why we all should. If we don’t, history will whisper its warnings into an empty room.
<h3>The Choice Ahead</h3>
To Gen Z, educators, and parents, I say this: You hold the pen that writes tomorrow’s story. Will it be a tale of courage or complacency? Will we raise a generation that can spot propaganda, or one that repeats history’s mistakes?
Persecution anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. Our classrooms should teach more than dates and facts, they should teach empathy, vigilance, and responsibility. This is not about scoring political points or comparing pain. It’s about defending the dignity of every human life.
When we ignore any kind of persecution, we erode the foundation of freedom itself. History is not just a record of the past — it’s a warning for the future. Silence is not neutral — it’s surrender. And the cost of indifference is always paid in human lives.
The choice is ours. The time is now.
* * *
<a href="https://kerryhasenbalg.com/">Kerry Hasenbalg</a> is a writer, speaker, and tireless advocate for faith, freedom, and human dignity. As the founder of <a href="https://www.becomingfoundation.org/">The Becoming Foundation</a> and former Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Kerry has shaped global child welfare policy and worked in post-conflict regions to advance healing and justice. Follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kerryhasenbalg/">Instagram</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Rwanda Commemorates 31st Anniversary Of Tutsi Genocide

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Africa

Bible

Cancel Culture

Christians

genocide

Nigeria

Persecution

Religion

Shooting At Annunciation School Church In Minneapolis Leaves Multiple Children Dead And Many Injured

Somali Tribal Blood Feuds In American Politics, Confirmed

Ilhan Omar

Immigrants

Matt Walsh

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Opinion

Somalia

The Christian genocide happening in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nigeria">Nigeria</a> has finally started to come to light. After 10 years of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">working</a> amid the violence, I have never seen more attention drawn to this crisis than right now.
Recently, the media, government, and religious institutions seem to be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-exposes-nigerias-christian-genocide-in-47-seconds?author=Brad+Brandon&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Bill+Maher+Exposes+Nigeria%E2%80%99s+Christian+Genocide+In+47+Seconds">waking up</a> and finally getting the message that there is a systematic targeting of Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern regions. These areas are approximately 90% Muslim and largely controlled by Boko Haram, ISIS-WA (ISWAP), and various other <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-silent-slaughter-inside-nigerias-christian-persecution-crisis">terrorist groups</a>.
As of right now, Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. More Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. In fact, of all those martyred for their faith in the entire world, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-silent-slaughter-inside-nigerias-christian-persecution-crisis">70% were killed in Nigeria</a>. In the first 220 days of 2025, over 7,000 Christians were killed in Northern Nigeria.
This is a part of the world where <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-silent-slaughter-inside-nigerias-christian-persecution-crisis">Christians are second-class citizens</a>. They often are not allowed access to food, clean water, and medical treatment, simply because they are Christians.
<div id="attachment_939723" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-939723" class="size-large wp-image-939723" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2210691166-864x576.jpg" alt="A worshipper prays as she attends a mass at Church of the Assumption in Lagos on April 21, 2025. African leaders praised the &quot;legacy of compassion&quot; and &quot;commitment to inclusivity&quot; of Pope Francis as they joined global mourning over his death on Monday. Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died aged 88. The chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, praised &quot;the Pope's courageous engagement with the African continent, amplifying the voices of the voiceless, championing peace and reconciliation, and standing in solidarity with those affected by conflict and poverty&quot;. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP) (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2210691166-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2210691166-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2210691166-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2210691166.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Earlier this year, when the <a href="https://mailchi.mp/edengordonmedia/july-29-brad-brandon-across-nigeria-yelwata-massacre-200-christians-murdered">village of Yelwata</a> was violently attacked, 250 Christians were killed in a single night. The media largely ignored the massacre, and no one was held accountable. There were no arrests, no prosecutions. It was as though nothing happened. I visited Yelwata shortly after the attack. One man, who lost 20 members of his family in the violence, described Muslims setting fire to homes and shooting women and children as they tried to escape the flames.
After working in Northern Nigeria for so long, I knew this was far from an isolated event, and it was just a matter of time before the next massacre took place. I also knew that as soon as the truth about what’s happening to Christians in Nigeria came to light in America, the genocide deniers would start to emerge.
Shortly after Bill Maher’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-exposes-nigerias-christian-genocide-in-47-seconds?author=Brad+Brandon&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Bill+Maher+Exposes+Nigeria%E2%80%99s+Christian+Genocide+In+47+Seconds">clip went viral</a>, prominent and trusted <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-christian-killings-claims-ted-cruz-insecurity-e9d2fb7ae02bd3169194fb60872bb3d4">media outlets</a>, as well as Nigerian government <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria">officials</a>, began vehemently <a href="https://www.arise.tv/christians-muslim-leaders-unite-to-refute-us-genocide-claim-in-nigeria/">refuting the claims</a>.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister called it a <a href="https://punchng.com/false-genocide-claims-threaten-nigerias-global-image-minister/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNnAyhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZZDFaUDI4WktjODlzQkRUAR6M8Zo7XUMIpTqH8Mz_C8qpBcl22mRk1aR1peN4iVuxFYkLoN6ut4N12b_XZQ_aem_EWmRYzEx9RSR6Iox3QRocg">“gross misrepresentation,”</a> saying that such claims are a threat to Nigeria’s global image and to foreign investments. Because nothing says “we’re not committing genocide” like whining about bad press and lost investment funds.
When Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the “<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2747">Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2025</a>,” the Nigerian government doubled down, claiming it was merely a crisis of narrative. They maintain that Muslims are being killed in the violence as well, which means that claims of a “Christian genocide” are unfounded.
As in all things, the best lies are partial truths. Yes, Muslims are being killed alongside Christians. However, the number of Muslim deaths when compared to Christian deaths is grossly disproportionate, and many of the Muslims killed are a result of collateral damage during targeted attacks on Christians. Also, Muslims who do not hold the radical beliefs of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups are targeted as well.
Media outlets like Al Jazeera featured op-eds saying “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria">there is no Christian genocide</a>” and “simplistic genocide claims fuel propaganda.” More frustrating, <a href="https://von.gov.ng/u-s-presidential-advisor-dismisses-religious-persecution-claims-in-nigeria/">Massad Boulos</a>, a Muslim and Senior Advisor to President Trump on Arab and African affairs, has dismissed the claims as well.
<div id="attachment_992269" style="width: 873px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-992269" class="size-large wp-image-992269" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-863x576.jpg" alt="Kajdi Szabolcs. Getty Images. Source: &quot;World reference atlas&quot;" width="863" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-187791736-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" />Kajdi Szabolcs. Getty Images. Source: “World reference atlas”</div>
Genocide denial, like genocide itself, is nothing new.
During World War II, Holocaust deniers actively dismissed the claims that Jews were being targeted. Even now, the Jewish Holocaust has deniers who still actively propagate the idea that the intentional and targeted imprisonment, torture, starvation, and execution of over 6 million European Jews (plus another 6 million “undesirables”) ever took place.
In the 1970s, international media and governments denied that there was genocide happening in Cambodia under Pol Pot. Even during the Rwandan genocide, the world was told that the Tutsi people were not being targeted for mutilation, sexual abuse, and execution.
We now know those denials were categorically false.
During every genocide throughout history, we were told, like Dorothy and her crew in the “Wizard of Oz,” “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” It’s a convenient way for those who are committing genocide to continue their violence and persecution under the cover of darkness. Genocide deniers always take the same approach and tell us to ignore what we see and just believe what they say.
<h3>WATCH: The Daily Wire’s Isabel Brown confronts the genocide in Nigeria head-on:</h3>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Nigeria’s Silent Genocide: 7,000 Christians Killed This Year &amp; Why NO ONE’s Talking About It" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiIxRUHhsDM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As someone who has seen it with my own eyes and lived it for many years, I’d find the deniers of the Nigerian genocide claims laughable if it weren’t so horrible. There is a concerted effort to wipe out the Christian population in Northern Nigeria. I have stood at the mass graves. I have buried my friends. I have prayed with the grieving widow who begs God for the salvation of her husband’s murderer.
All the while, we are being told not to believe what we see and to blindly believe what we’re told.
Just last week, a delegation of American fact finders was invited by Nigeria’s National Security Advisor to investigate allegations of persecution against Christians. What <a href="https://saharareporters.com/2025/10/21/american-fact-finding-team-confirms-religious-killings-nigeria-group-makes">they found</a> should surprise no one. Their fact-finding mission confirmed what those of us who live it already know. Their findings substantiate the claims of the ongoing persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria. The investigators went so far as to say it is “a calculated and long-running genocide.”
The genocide is real. It is calculated. And it’s been going on for a long time. Now, it’s time for all of America to stop burying our heads in the sand. The world has stood by and watched genocide happen time and again, without taking action. This is our opportunity to stop the genocide of Christians now, before it’s too late.
* * *
<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in the foreign mission field. He serves predominantly in high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. Through Pastor Brad and the <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">Across Nigeria</a> team, ground-breaking work is being done to bring the gospel into areas with the most intense opposition. His passion is to reach people in these areas with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to help persecuted Christians who live under the constant threat of violence because of their faith in Christ.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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NIGERIA-UNREST-FUNERAL

How Can The World Still Deny Nigeria’s Christian Genocide?

How Can The World Still Deny Nigeria's Christian Genocide?

Boko Haram

Catholics

Islamic Jihad

Islamic State (ISIS)

Muslims

The Trump administration says it has brokered a deal with Liberia to accept alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia when he’s deported from the United States, according to a Friday court <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.589189/gov.uscourts.mdd.589189.56.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a>.
Abrego Garcia presented a list of 20 countries he feared deportation to, but the list didn’t include Liberia, Justice Department lawyers wrote in the filing. The Trump administration is looking to deport him as early as October 31.
Federal officials “have received diplomatic assurances regarding the treatment of third country individuals removed to Liberia from the United States and are making the final necessary arrangements for Petitioner’s removal.”
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-journey-from-maryland-man-to-uganda-man-a-current-timeline">2011</a>, to his native El Salvador in March, despite an “administrative error.” He was brought back to the U.S. on human smuggling charges.
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Video from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee showed Abrego Garcia in a car packed with eight other passengers, but no luggage. The group had been traveling for days from Texas as they headed to Maryland, and officers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-suspected-maryland-man-of-getting-paid-to-traffic-illegals-body-cam-footage-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Garcia was likely “hauling these people for money, probably to Maryland.”
The van was filled with eight non-English-speaking men without licenses, save for Garcia, whose license had expired. Officers eventually released Abrego Garcia with a citation despite their suspicions.
Upon Abrego Garcia’s return, the Trump administration commenced plans to remove him to a “third country.” The U.S. tried to deport him to Uganda and, initially, Costa Rica.
But the new plan is “yet another path that feels designed to inflict maximum hardship,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s attorney, said, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-dept-deport-kilmar-abrego-garcia-to-liberia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
“Their actions are punitive, cruel and unconstitutional,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “Unless Liberia guarantees that it will not re-deport Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, then sending him to Liberia is no less unlawful than sending him directly to El Salvador a second time.”
Abrego Garcia’s wife received a temporary <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wife-man-mistakenly-deported-el-salvador-filed-2021-protective-order-against-him-kilmar-abrego-garcia/">protective order</a> against him in 2021, alleging her husband beat her on multiple occasions. She has since come to his defense as he faces a second possible deportation.
Abrego Garcia was accused of being a member of MS-13 in a Maryland police report from 2019 and in a 2018 court filing.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Checks In At Baltimore ICE Office After Release From Jail

Trump Admin Finalizes Plans To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia To African Nation

Donald Trump

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Drone and artillery strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on a shelter in the Sudanese city of Al Fashir killed at least 60 people on Friday night and Saturday morning, according to local activists.
Al-Fashir is under siege by the RSF as it struggles to wrest control of the army&#8217;s last stronghold in the Darfur region.
The siege has spread hunger and disease in the city and relentless drone and artillery strikes have hit displacement shelters, mosques, and hospitals and clinics.
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&#8220;Bodies remain under the rubble, and others were burned alive inside the shelter caravans, children, women, and elderly killed in cold blood, the al-Fashir Resistance Committees said in a statement earlier on Saturday. It said in a later statement that the shelter had been hit twice by drones and eight times by artillery shells.
The resistance committee said hundreds of civilians have been killed by the attacks, and residents who spoke to Reuters said they had dug bunkers into their homes and neighborhoods for protection.
The activist group said the city is losing 30 people on average daily to violence, hunger, and disease.
(Reporting by Nafisa EltahirEditing by Mark Potter and Toby Chopra)

Sudan

At Least 60 Killed After Paramilitary Group Strikes Sudanese Shelter

Drones

General

World

Political satirist and self-described liberal, Bill Maher, long an outspoken critic of Christianity, recently caused a firestorm when he put a searing spotlight on the mass murders of Christians in Nigeria, where more Christians are killed than anywhere else in the world.
During the September 26 episode of his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/because-the-jews-arent-involved-maher-slams-media-for-ignoring-christian-genocide-in-africa?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Because+The+Jews+Aren%E2%80%99t+Involved%E2%80%99%3A+Maher+Slams+Media+For+Ignoring+Christian+Genocide+In+Africa">pointed out the atrocities</a> perpetrated against Nigerian Christians, saying, “They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches,” referring to the violence of Islamists in Nigeria, such as Boko Haram. In his comments, he criticized both the media and pro-Hamas protestors, stating, “This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. Where are kids protesting this?” Surprisingly, and thankfully, his audience erupted into vigorous applause.
His remarks quickly went viral on social media, triggering podcasts and talk shows to highlight the mass murders.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Maher delivers a surprising moment on air as he calls out the slaughter of CHRISTIANS in Nigeria that the media refuses to cover.
“If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources SUCK,” Maher said.
“You are in a BUBBLE. I’m not a Christian, but they are… <a href="https://t.co/XzDD3LYBPB">pic.twitter.com/XzDD3LYBPB</a>
— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) <a href="https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1971778531882316036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @VigilantFox/X.com
I now spend most of my life living in Northern Nigeria, where this genocide is happening. I know firsthand the reality of the gruesome violence against Christians. I have even carried the bodies of my friends who have been murdered. So, I was thrilled to see Maher take valuable airtime to highlight the horrific reality of Nigeria’s Christian genocide.
One of Maher’s more poignant comments came when he stated, “The fact that this issue has not gotten on people’s radar. It’s pretty amazing. If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck. You are in a bubble.” It causes one to ask the very question implied by Maher. Why don’t more people know about what’s going on in Nigeria?
The United States Government, media, and even the American Church seem to be silent on the issue. Indeed, over 100,000 Christians have been slaughtered since 2009. By July of this year, 7,000 more Christians were murdered in cold blood. Currently, thirty Christians are killed every day in Nigeria, thousands of churches are destroyed, hundreds of pastors are abducted, and millions of people are left starving. The silence is deafening. 
An abundance of attention has been given to Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran. So, why is virtually no attention being given to the thousands of Christians who are being murdered every year in Nigeria and the atrocities of Boko Haram and ISWA?
One possible answer is that it may be much easier to bury one’s head in the sand than to deal with the problem. That has been the approach of recent administrations in the United States. In 2021, the Biden Administration inexplicably removed Nigeria from the State Department’s “Country of Particular Concern” list. When the State Department offered its report on religious freedom, the following year, Nigeria was not even mentioned. Outrageously, at the same time, Christians were being killed by the thousands, and the genocide was in full swing. President Biden even ignored a resolution from the House Foreign Affairs Committee calling for immediate intervention in Nigeria. With that, a precedent was set, and the United States government refused even to acknowledge that the problem existed. It has yet to be seen if the Trump administration will recognize this genocide or continue to ignore it. 
<div id="attachment_790095" style="width: 849px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-790095" class="size-large wp-image-790095" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1204495232-839x576.jpg" alt="Christians faithfuls hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. - The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria gathered faithfuls as well as other Christians and other people to pray for security and to denounce the barbaric killings of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria. (Photo by Kola SULAIMON / AFP)" width="839" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1204495232-839x576.jpg 839w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1204495232-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1204495232-768x527.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1204495232.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 839px) 100vw, 839px" />Credit: Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images.</div>
In the media, there is a dark pattern concerning genocides. During World War II, many German citizens knew what was happening in the death camps. Although some reports of the mass killing of Jews were being circulated in the American media, it was not given nearly the attention it deserved. But rather than blow the whistle and investigate the claims, the American media remained largely silent. The same thing happened with the killing fields of Cambodia and the Rwandan genocide. During both events, the United States and the world stayed quiet and did nothing of consequence.
A genocide is the deliberate and planned attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. <a href="https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/origins-genocide">According to the UN</a>, what we learn from history is that genocides can last for decades without shocking the conscience of the world. While the killing is happening, very few speak out. Ironically, when the genocides are over, we make movies about them. It’s far easier to deal with the aftermath than it is to face the actual atrocities.
The most shameful has been the silence of the American church. We are the wealthiest and most influential nation in the world. It has the resources, reach, and influence to raise awareness and compel the faith community to get involved. The American church has the means to sway people, lawmakers, and the media, and urge them to take action. Unfortunately, it has followed suit and remained oddly quiet. The Bible teaches us that it is our job to bring light to the hidden things of darkness (Eph. 5:11-14). If we refuse, how can we possibly expect anyone else to act?
I am grateful that Bill Maher was courageous enough to speak out on the Nigerian genocide, prompting a worldwide conversation. It shows us what one liberal, atheist comedian, who makes a 47-second comment, can do. Imagine the impact if all of us did the same.
* * *
<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in predominantly high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Bill Maher Exposes Nigeria’s Christian Genocide In 47 Seconds

Nancy Mace

As conditions in northern Nigeria continue to deteriorate, the U.S. State Department inexplicably approved a potential sale of <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4273754/nigeria-munitions-precision-bombs-and-precision-rockets">$346 million</a> in arms to the Nigerian military. The multimillion-dollar deal comes as northern Nigeria further descends into violent turmoil as killings, kidnappings, and raids continue to destabilize communities throughout the region.
After years of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">working in the region</a>, I&#8217;ve seen arms deals like this before. They rarely, if ever, work. In fact, they often make things worse. The U.S. has a terrible habit of assuming money or weapons can resolve every conflict, while ignoring the unique cultural and historical factors that created the problem in the first place.
The Nigerian government indeed needs assistance in providing and maintaining security. Terrorist groups like Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram, and a host of factional bandit groups have successfully destabilized nearly the entire northern territory of the country. The Nigerian military is ill-equipped to deal with these challenges.
The International Society for Civil Liberties has calculated that more than <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/christians-killed-nigeria-religion-2116416">7,000 Christians were killed</a> during the first 220 days of 2025. Although the violence is predominantly focused on the Christian community, Muslims are suffering at the hands of these extremist groups, too. Just this month, armed extremists entered a mosque in northern Nigeria and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/bandits-kill-least-27-northern-nigeria-mosque-attack-officials-say-2025-08-19/">killed 27 worshippers</a>. This year is already the deadliest in recent memory, and by year&#8217;s end, it will very likely be the deadliest ever in Nigeria’s history.
In the face of rising violence and extremism, from 2000 to 2021, the U.S. State Department dumped $232 million in “<a href="https://watson.brown.edu/chrhs/files/chrhs/imce/partnerships/Civ-Mil/Nigeria-May-2022-Factsheet.pdf">security sector assistance</a>,” $593 million in foreign military sales, and $305 million in “direct commercial sales” from private companies into Nigeria. All in an effort to stop the rise of terrorism and suppress newly formed terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
Did it work? Absolutely not.
Since Boko Haram’s formation in 2002, they have only grown in strength and numbers. What started as a handful of extremists with Jihadi ideals to rid northern Nigeria of anything western has grown into an army of thousands. And while the U.S. was still throwing money and weapons at the problem, another, more menacing group was forming. In 2015, ISWAP was born when a group within Boko Haram defected and pledged its allegiance to ISIS. This group has grown into an army of 20,000.
While both Republican and Democratic administrations and Congresses tried to solve the problem with money and arms, the problem only grew. 
By the end of 2020, an estimated <a href="https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/nigeria-s-silent-slaughter-62-000-christians-murdered-since-2000">60,000 people were directly killed</a> by the violence of these two groups alone. And according to a 2021 report by the United Nations Development Programme, the insurgency had <a href="https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ng/Assessing-the-Impact-of-Conflict-on-Development-in-NE-Nigeria---The-Report.pdf">caused the death of 350,000 people</a> from the conflict’s indirect consequences (like lack of food, healthcare, etc).
Anyone looking at the policy of selling arms to Nigeria would be hard pressed to say, “Job well done.”
Arms sales to Nigeria are a debacle for two reasons. First, Nigeria is notorious for its corruption. Corruption is woven into the very fabric of Nigeria’s culture. As quickly as the U.S. sends money and arms, the resources are often diverted from their intended destination.
In 2016, <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/nigerian-military-some-officers-selling-arms-to-boko-haram/3493038.html">Nigeria’s military was forced to admit</a> that many of its officers were selling arms and ammunition to Boko Haram and fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions of dollars budgeted to help suppress the insurgency. One four-star general was even accused of <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/nigerian-military-some-officers-selling-arms-to-boko-haram/3493038.html">skimming $24 million</a> to build a shopping center in Abuja. He was relieved of his command but never convicted.
For a State Department that seems set on getting rid of fraud, waste, and abuse, I don’t think sending unsupervised money and weapons to Nigeria is a wise step in the right direction.
Secondly, the Nigerian military has been known to make serious mistakes that cost innocent lives. The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0y30766kjo">latest example</a> happened in May, when the Nigerian Air Force bombed a local self-defense group, mistaking them for insurgents. Ironically, the <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/nigeria/">State Department&#8217;s Annual Human Rights Report</a> warning that Nigerian air strikes kill civilians was released the same week the department approved the latest weapons sale.
The reality is this: Nigeria needs help to suppress the growth of terrorist groups in the north and they cannot fight stone-cold killers with peace signs and flowers.
However, this is an extremely complex problem, and the solution is not unilateral. It will take a multi-layered approach to see any degree of success. Any funding and weapons should never be approved without a plan for oversight and strict accountability – something that has never been part of our weapons aid in the past.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I know <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">northern Nigeria</a>. I know the language, the culture, and the people. And one thing I am sure of is that if all the U.S. is prepared to do is throw guns, ammunition, and money at the problem, we will only get more of the same.
* * *
<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in predominantly high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

military equipment ammunition and camouflage uniform

Why The Latest U.S. Arms Deal With Nigeria Will Only Fuel More Violence

Federal Government

Military Weapons

State Department

What is being called a “silent genocide” in Africa has reportedly included ISIS-aligned forces beheading Christians in Mozambique.
“The Islamic State &#8211; Mozambique Province (ISMP) recently released 20 photos boasting of four attacks on &#8216;Christian villages&#8217; in the Chiure district, in <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-regions/africa">Mozambique&#8217;s northern</a> Cabo Delgado province, according to MEMRI,” Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-soldiers-behead-christians-mozambique-burning-church-homes-silent-genocide">reported</a>. “The images also allegedly depict the beheadings of a member of what the jihadists consider ‘infidel militias’ and two Christian civilians. Rampaging jihadist groups celebrated the killings.”
Islamic State Mozambique Province fighters allegedly captured and beheaded six Christians in the village of Natocua in the Ancuabe district of Mozambique&#8217;s Cabo Delgado Province on July 22, according to MEMRI.
The U.S. State Department designated ISMP as a foreign terrorist organization in 2021.
“What we see in Africa today is a kind of silent genocide or silent, brutal, savage war that is occurring in the shadows and all too often ignored by the international community,” MEMRI Vice President Alberto Miguel Fernandez stated to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-soldiers-behead-christians-mozambique-burning-church-homes-silent-genocide">Fox News Digital</a>. “The fact that jihadist groups are in a position to take over not one, not two, but several countries in Africa – take over the whole country or most of several countries – is dangerous. It&#8217;s very dangerous for the national security of the United States, let alone the security of the poor people who are there – Christians or Muslims or whoever they are.”
“The goal is eliminating Christian communities,” he continued. “Yes. Completely. Basically with these jihadist groups, they push down from safe havens that they have; they want to eliminate all the Christians in that area, take that over and keep pushing, keep pushing as far as they can go. Non-Christians, say, the Muslim population &#8230; are given a choice: either join us or you too will face killing and annihilation. Christians, of course, are not going to be asked to join; Christians are going to be targeted and destroyed.”
Fernandez has previously served as director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department, as well as Coordinator for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) at the State Department.
The United Nations reported that there was mass displacement of citizens occurring, but did not specify who was responsible, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165560">stating</a>, “According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<a href="https://www.unocha.org/" data-extlink="">OCHA</a>), attacks by armed groups between 20 and 28 July triggered the displacement of at least 46,667 people across the districts of Chiúre, Ancuabe and Muidumbe. Chiúre was the hardest hit, with more than 42,000 people uprooted – over half of them children.”
“I&#8217;m no fan of the United Nations in general, but I think what they&#8217;re doing is kind of the lowest common denominator,&#8221; Fernandez said. “It&#8217;s kind of easy to be vague like that. The fact that some of this and some of the worst of it is happening because of a deep anti-Christian animus, hatred of Christians, religiously-based hatred of Christians is something that the UN usually doesn&#8217;t like to talk about.”
Passionist missionary Father Kwiriwi Fonseca in Mozambique sent a <a href="https://www.churchinneed.org/christians-are-suffering-greatly-in-mozambique-says-passionist-priest/">message</a> saying, “All the newly displaced mentioned having fled because of direct attacks on their villages, involving looting, arson, kidnappings, and selective murders &#8230; many Christians are suffering. Some chapels have also been burned, as have their houses. The social projects no longer work, and the people are in despair.”

MOZAMBIQUE-UNREST

‘Silent Genocide’: ISIS Forces Behead Christians In Mozambique Terror Campaign

‘Silent Genocide’: ISIS Forces Behead Christians in Mozambique Terror Campaign

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More than 40 Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed by Islamic militants early Sunday morning, according to reports from multiple Christian organizations and the United Nations.
The victims, including at least nine children, were holding a prayer vigil as part of a summer holiday session in the early morning hours in the city of Komanda when they were attacked by the Allied Democratic Forces, a radical Islamic rebel group with ties to the Islamic State, <a href="https://www.churchinneed.org/dozens-killed-in-another-church-massacre-in-dr-congo/">according</a> to Aid to the Church in Need.
&#8220;The attack occurred at around 1 o’clock in the morning. The rebels entered the church and murdered a large number of children, both inside the church building and in the compound,&#8221; said Fr. Marcelo Oliveira, a longtime missionary in the Congo.
Islamic militants set fire to homes and shops in Komanda before fleeing. The terrorists were gone by the time the government forces arrived. According to the United Nations peacekeeping mission, 43 people were killed in the attack, including 19 women and nine children, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ezjg34lw4o">reported</a>. The Congolese military said that the insurgents used machetes in their attack, adding, &#8220;These terrorists have decided to take revenge on defenseless peaceful populations to spread terror.&#8221;
The attack is yet another example of the extreme persecution faced by Christians at the hands of Islamic extremists in the Congo and other African nations. In February, 70 Christians were found <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/70-christians-beheaded-in-congo-church?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=70+Christians+Beheaded+In+Congo+Church">beheaded</a> in a church after they were attacked by militants with the Allied Democratic Forces. Last month, around 200 Christians in Nigeria were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terrible-massacre-hundreds-of-christians-killed-by-jihadists?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Terrible+Massacre%E2%80%99%3A+Hundreds+Of+Christians+Killed+By+Jihadists">killed</a> by jihadists who stormed a predominantly Catholic farming community and set fire to homes.
Christian persecution in Africa receives little to no <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a19e3038bac685ef&amp;rlz=1C5GCCM_en&amp;q=congo+christians+killed&amp;tbm=nws&amp;source=lnms&amp;fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZrjP_Cx0LI1Ytb_FGcOviEiTm5uW1q0uNfK7KsnoL8hUyUYUJLZ_b-p0lT09DIkR7RtNt-9R1f9Pbq4mdMMyxSelEHHADgzBCNx7-1ORi0KJWiwbiRKhaJlqpDHUl2dNr8G5XPk2ywt6RaMo8S7jdrN1-wsMK-NpRx3wHhwRUuCDXYdA01GXeONWxb0oGcT8AZCQ6oA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjq1cau0-KOAxXnk2oFHV7JBBkQ0pQJegQIFRAB&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=778&amp;dpr=2">coverage</a> in the legacy news media despite the constant threats and violence faced by people of faith. According to the Christian group <a href="https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/latest-news/drc-attack-church/">Open Doors</a>, 355 Christians in the Congo were killed in 2024, an increase from 261 in 2023.
The Congo remains a completely volatile political landscape with factions and rebel groups fighting for control of multiple regions. The fighting has resulted in more than 100,000 Congolese people getting <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160006">displaced</a>, the United Nations reported in February.

Christians in Congo

Islamic Militants Slaughter Dozens Of Christians During Prayer Vigil

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Radical Islamic Terror

New York City is not only poised to have its first Muslim mayor but also its first mayor who blatantly refuses to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggV2SeiGrVw">condemn</a> the widely used motto “Globalize the Intifada.”
When asked three times on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Ugandan-born, democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, Zohran Mamdani, refused to condemn the appalling call for violence. This should, at the very least, be unsettling for New Yorkers and Americans alike.
Not only is the call for intifada a petition for violence, but it is also a call for the installation of Islamic rule. One of the tenets of the Intifada is the complete installation of Sharia Law. For those who care about human rights, few things should cause more concern than the implementation of Sharia Law. To put it mildly, Sharia Law’s track record on human rights is far from stellar. Nearly all of the 35 countries that have adopted Sharia Law are on the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-countries-human-rights-watchlist-us-2043007">Human Rights Watch list</a> at “closed” or “repressed” levels – the two most at-risk categories. Also, countries with Sharia law make up nearly half the countries designated as <a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/2025-recommendations">“Countries of Particular Concern”</a> on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s list.
What’s even more alarming is the exponential growth of Sharia Law around the globe. In 1980, Saudi Arabia was the only country that officially applied Sharia Law. By 2000, that number had risen to 16. Currently, more than 35 of the 195 countries in the world have incorporated Sharia Law in their legal systems.
Sharia Law enforces Islamic principles in civil and criminal matters, guided by the subjective interpretations of the mostly male Islamic scholars (called Fiqhs), formalized through consensus (called Ijmas). It governs issues like apostasy, blasphemy, alcohol consumption, stealing, adultery, homosexuality, and forced marriages. Punishments, known as Hadud, vary but are severe in strict Quran-adhering regions and range from death for apostasy, blasphemy, or homosexuality; caning (often 40 lashes) for alcohol or drug use; hand amputation for theft; and stoning, flogging, or genital mutilation for other offenses.
These are the realities of Sharia Law when fully applied.
As the founder of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/">a mission</a> working in the remote and dangerous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-silent-slaughter-inside-nigerias-christian-persecution-crisis?author=Brad+Brandon&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Silent+Slaughter%3A+Inside+Nigeria%E2%80%99s+Christian+Persecution+Crisis">northern region of Nigeria</a>, I have seen the horrific impacts Sharia Law has on people. I have spent nearly a third of my adult life in areas that impose strict interpretations of the Quran and regularly enforce the cruel punishments of Sharia Law.
Years ago, I saw a young man flogged 40 times in a village for using drugs, his guilt vaguely established. Sharia’s standards of proof are low compared to modern legal systems. Later, I met an older man with both hands amputated for stealing – once in his youth, then again while struggling with hunger, in a country where people barely earn enough money to feed themselves. Others I know face life in brutal prisons for apostasy or blasphemy. Sharia’s punishments – flogging, amputation, imprisonment – deliver severe consequences that should make anyone concerned about basic human rights shudder.
Sharia Law has little to no regard for human rights and almost never shows mercy to those who trespass its pretenses, including women and children.
Sharia Law’s emergence in states with rising Muslim populations, like my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6QC_qEyl0Q">home state of Minnesota</a>, worries me. In the U.S., Sharia currently operates through local councils that mediate disputes and personal matters within Muslim communities, always under state and federal laws.
Yet, challenges arise. In 2009, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Joseph Charles relied on a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/advocates-of-anti-shariah-measures-alarmed-by-judges-ruling">family’s Imam</a> in a spousal abuse case, denying the woman a protective order. Though an appellate court overturned the ruling, this case reveals Sharia’s potential to influence U.S. legal systems, extending beyond community guidelines and testing national authority.
In Europe, there is no greater example of Sharia Law’s infiltration than in the United Kingdom. The U.K. is now being called the <a href="https://www.gbnews.com/news/britain-sharia-law-courts-western-capital">“western capital” of Sharia Law</a>, with more than 85 “councils” operating across the country. These Islamic councils have become a blatant assault on human rights, particularly against women and children. Under Sharia Law, a woman’s testimony is worth half of a man’s. This discrimination has far-reaching effects in matters of spousal abuse, divorce, child custody, and financial matters just to name a few. According to these Sharia councils, a woman’s right to divorce is heavily restricted, whereas a man’s right to divorce is unilateral. These kinds of discrimination are illegal in the government and workplaces in the U.K. But when it comes to Sharia Law they are promoted.
The most alarming aspect of this is that under the <a href="https://lawandreligionuk.com/2012/10/24/sharia-law-the-arbitration-act-1996-and-the-arbitration-and-mediation-services-equality-bill/">U.K.’s Arbitration Act</a>, the rulings of these Sharia councils are precedent rulings and are being used in the British courts. This is happening across Europe. In so much that the Council of Europe has <a href="https://eclj.org/religious-freedom/pace/le-conseil-de-leurope-sinquite-grandement-de-lapplication-de-la-charia-en-europe?lng=en">issued a report </a>stating they are “greatly concerned” by the application of Sharia Law in Europe, specifically listing the U.K., Greece, Germany, and Chechnya. This imposition of Sharia Law has even created enough concern in the U.S. that <a href="https://www.mapsofworld.com/answers/united-states/states-outlawed-sharia-law/">16 states have passed legislation banning Sharia Law,</a> and more than two dozen have anti-Sharia bills introduced.
It&#8217;s not hyperbole or hysterics to be concerned about the imposition of Sharia Law and its inhumane practices in the United States. All one has to do is look at the scores of Western countries that have opened the door to it. In every case, human rights are being trampled and disregarded. It’s not at all unreasonable for every American to be concerned when the Democratic nominee of the nation’s largest city is a man who will not condemn the idea of a global intifada and its assault on human rights through the spread of Sharia Law.
* * *
<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in predominantly high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Lantern that have moon symbol on top with blurred focus of paper cut for mosque shape background.

The Global Rise Of Sharia Law And Mamdani’s ‘Intifada’ Silence

The Global Rise Of Sharia Law And Mamdani’s 'Intifada' Silence

Europe

New York City

Sharia Law

United Kingdom

New York City&#8217;s Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani does not consider himself to be black — but that did not stop him from checking the &#8220;African-American&#8221; box in addition to the &#8220;Asian&#8221; box on his application to attend Columbia University.
The New York Times revealed the information — discovered through a hack of the university and then shared with the outlet — in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/nyregion/mamdani-columbia-black-application.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk8.dq-_.OgG4Ktak82Hp&amp;smid=url-share">report</a> published on Thursday afternoon, just ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
GIFT LINK: SCOOP: Mamdani Identified as Asian and African American on College Application
I report with <a href="https://twitter.com/danarubinstein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaRubinstein</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/npfandos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NPFandos</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYTimes</a><a href="https://t.co/pV7xvNYprB">https://t.co/pV7xvNYprB</a>
&mdash; Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) <a href="https://twitter.com/benryanwriter/status/1940887033804624378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Though both of his parents are of Indian descent, Mamdani was born in Uganda and spent his early childhood there. He has said that he considers himself &#8220;an American who was born in Africa,&#8221; not black or African American — and instead, he has leaned in to his South Asian ancestry and his Muslim faith.
&#8220;As the first South Asian elected official, the first Muslim elected official to ever run for mayor, the turnout in those same communities has been incredible to see,&#8221; he said after besting disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary.
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But, as the hacked data revealed, he did consider himself African American for the purpose of his application to Columbia — and he admitted he&#8217;d done the same on other college applications. His explanation was that the available selections did not paint a complete picture of who he was.
&#8220;Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” he said. “Even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.&#8221;
The Times even appeared to cast doubt on Mamdani&#8217;s motivation:
<blockquote>Columbia, like many elite universities, used a race-conscious affirmative action admissions program at the time. Reporting that his race was Black or African American in addition to Asian could have given an advantage to Mr. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and spent his earliest years there.</blockquote>
In addition, the Times pressed Mamdani on whether he&#8217;d ever identified as African American on any other occasion: &#8220;The Times could not find any speeches or interviews in which Mr. Mamdani referred to himself as Black or African American.&#8221; Mamdani said that outside of college applications, he could not recall ever doing so.

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Mamdani Said He Was ‘African American’ On Columbia University Application

Mamdani Said He Was 'African American' On Columbia University Application

Elections

Politics

Uganda

Zohran Mamdani

A Washington, D.C., judge on Tuesday said President Donald Trump did not have the authority to name the leader of a small, USAID-like agency after an African company sued, citing the hardship of having to lay off its workers.
Judge Richard J. Leon ruled that Trump appointee Pete Marocco, who oversaw the demolition of USAID, was not validly appointed to the African Development Foundation, where he played a similar role, and, therefore, had no authority to terminate grants.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by a consulting firm in Zambia, called Rural Development Innovations Limited, represented by lawyers from the left-wing American group Democracy Forward.
Trump fired the entirety of the African Development Foundation&#8217;s board, and the agency locked its doors to prevent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees from gaining access to its books. One of the fired board members sued, but Judge Leon tossed that lawsuit, affirming that the president had the right to fire board members.
In this second lawsuit, though, Leon indicated that Trump likely did not have the power to determine who runs the agency in the board members&#8217; absence. Under the legislation establishing the Foundation, the president nominates board members, but they must be confirmed by the Senate.
Marocco had been named &#8220;acting&#8221; chairman of the board. The chief role of the board is to appoint a president who runs day-to-day operations, and Marocco appointed himself.
The Trump administration <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789.12.0.pdf">argued</a> that &#8220;because the Federal Vacancies Act does not apply to the Foundation, the President has the inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to designate acting members of the Foundation Board until the Senate confirms his nominees to fill full terms&#8230; The President must be able to designate acting officials to fulfill his duty.&#8221;
It is unclear how Leon believes the management of the federal agency should be chosen, since he acknowledges that the agency has no board. The African Development Foundation&#8217;s previous president, Travis Adkins, who was accused of anti-white racism and abuse of employees, resigned before the DOGE takeover.
After Adkins&#8217;s resignation, the role was filled by a committee of the agency&#8217;s three top employees, including Chief Financial Officer Mathieu Zahui. The USAID inspector general presented evidence in court in November 2024 that Zahui steered contracts to a friend in exchange for kickbacks, but he has so far not been criminally charged.
If the group&#8217;s staff is reinstated and its top management structure restored, that would put the subject of a criminal investigation in charge of an agency, instead of the president&#8217;s appointee.
Rural Development Innovations Limited &#8220;offers clients broad expertise in financial management, enterprise development, organizational capacity development, strategy development and implementation, project management, marketing and market access development,&#8221; its lawyers <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789.1.0_1.pdf">wrote</a>.
Yet it doesn&#8217;t actually have any clients except the United States government. They added: &#8220;RDI receives 100% of its funding from USADF and has been awarded a USADF grant that continues through 2028. Yet in April 2025, RDI received notice from Pete Marocco that its grant was being terminated immediately because RDI somehow no longer satisfied USADF’s priorities. As a result, RDI will be forced to shut down entirely by the end of June 2025.&#8221;
Judge Leon wrote that &#8220;RDI has shown irreparable injury&#8230; Traditionally, &#8216;economic loss does not, in and of itself constitute irreparable harm,'&#8221; but an &#8220;exception exists when &#8216;the loss threatens the very existence of the movant&#8217;s business.&#8221; That exception applied because RDI had no customers other than the United States government. RDI argued that America had an obligation not to terminate its funding because Zambian law requires the payment of severance to laid-off employees, which it could not afford to do.
Two African Development Foundation employees were also plaintiffs in the lawsuit. But, unlike the African company, the American workers had no recourse, the judge <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789.26.0.pdf">ruled</a>.
Leon wrote that &#8220;RDI requests that the Court preliminarily enjoin all defendants&#8211;including the President of the United States.&#8221; The court does not have the power to enjoin the president, he wrote, but the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789/gov.uscourts.dcd.280789.27.0.pdf">injunction</a> blocks Marocco &#8220;from taking actions as the acting chairperson of the United States African Development Foundation&#8217;s board of directors and president,&#8221; and White House, Treasury, and Department of Government Efficiency officials, from &#8220;implementing or giving effect to directives from Marocco.&#8221;
An injunction is a temporary order that gives relief to one side while a final resolution is pending. It is given when the judge believes a party is likely to win the case and will suffer harm in the meantime if it has to wait months.
Typically, a party seeking an injunction is supposed to post a monetary bond that would be used to compensate the opposing party if that party ultimately wins the case. The Trump administration has highlighted the role that such bonds would play in preventing groups from seeking endless injunctions by giving them skin in the game.
But courts have &#8220;discretion&#8230;to determine the appropriate amount of an injunction bond,&#8221; Judge Leon wrote, and he would require no bond at all from the African group, since the Trump administration has &#8220;not argued that they will suffer monetary loss if the Court were to issue an injunction.&#8221;
A four-part Daily Wire series documented significant ethical and financial problems at the African Development Foundation, which former employees said was likely the reason it was so opposed to scrutiny by DOGE:
PART ONE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/foreign-aid-official-who-resisted-doge-took-secret-payments-after-steering-africa-money-to-friend?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Foreign+Aid+Official+Who+Resisted+DOGE+Took+Secret+Payments+After+Steering+Africa+Money+To+Friend%C2%A0">Foreign Aid Official Who Resisted DOGE Took Secret Payments After Steering Africa Money To Friend </a>
PART TWO: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/african-aid-agency-used-foreign-pass-throughs-to-hide-money-that-went-to-d-c-staff-friends?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=African+Aid+Agency+Used+Foreign+Pass-Throughs+To+Hide+Money+That+Went+To+D.C.+Staff%2C+Friends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African Aid Agency Used Foreign Pass-Throughs To Hide Money That Went To D.C. Staff</a>
PART THREE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aid-agency-pushed-officials-for-profit-pyramid-scheme-on-poor-africans?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Aid+Agency+Pushed+Official%E2%80%99s+For-Profit+Pyramid+Scheme+On+Poor+Africans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aid Agency Pushed Official’s For-Profit Pyramid Scheme On Poor Africans</a>
PART FOUR: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/them-white-motherf-ers-racist-agency-framed-its-lawyer-after-he-discovered-lawbreaking-he-says?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=Investigation&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=%E2%80%98Them+White+Motherf-ers%E2%80%99%3A+Racist+Agency+Framed+Its+Lawyer+After+He+Discovered+Lawbreaking%2C+He+Says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Them White Motherf-ers’: Racist Agency Framed Its Lawyer After He Discovered Lawbreaking, He Says</a>

Mathieu Zahui, chief financial officer of the African Development Foundation

Judge Orders Foreign Aid Agency Resurrected After African Company Sues

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