Ted Cruz, a United States senator has vowed to push laws concentrating on using Sharia and blasphemy legal guidelines in Nigeria, following Washington’s resolution to put the nation again on its checklist of countries accused of violating spiritual freedom.
The transfer comes after Donald Trump, U.S. president introduced that Nigeria had been redesignated as a “Nation of Explicit Concern,” a label reserved for nations the U.S. says interact in or tolerate severe abuses of spiritual liberty.
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Cruz, a Republican representing Texas, stated the step aligns along with his long-standing marketing campaign to defend Christians dealing with persecution all over the world.
“I’m deeply gratified to President Trump for making this dedication,” Cruz stated in a press release revealed on his official web site. “I’ve fought for years to counter the slaughter and persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and this yr launched laws that may lock within the designation made at the moment.”
In accordance with Cruz, the proposed invoice will impose sanctions and accountability measures on Nigerian officers who assist or implement blasphemy or Sharia legal guidelines. “At the moment’s designation is a important step in holding accountable and altering the behaviour of Nigerian officers who’ve facilitated and created an surroundings conducive to the outrages in Nigeria,” he added.
Learn additionally: FG rejects Trumps claim of genocide against Christians in Nigeria’
The remarks come amid renewed criticism of Nigeria’s file on spiritual freedom. Rights teams have lengthy accused the nation’s authorities of turning a blind eye to assaults in opposition to Christians in some northern states the place Islamic legislation is practised alongside secular codes.
Trump, who made the announcement on his Fact Social platform, claimed that “Christianity is dealing with an existential menace in Nigeria,” alleging that “hundreds of Christians are being killed” by “radical Islamists.”
He stated he had instructed some Republican lawmakers, together with representatives Riley Moore of West Virginia and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, to research the killings and current a report back to Congress.
“The US can’t stand by whereas such atrocities are taking place in Nigeria,” Trump stated. “We stand prepared, prepared, and in a position to save our nice Christian inhabitants all over the world.”
Learn additionally: Tinubu to Trump: Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty
The redesignation marks a pointy flip in U.S. coverage. Nigeria was first added to the “Nation of Explicit Concern” checklist in 2020 below Trump’s administration however was eliminated a yr later by his successor, Joe Biden — a transfer that drew criticism from spiritual advocacy teams.
