Hausa is the largest ethnic group in Africa. They have been known for centuries as traders and are well established in all cities on the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage route, in Sub Saharan Africa. They have a population of about 70 million. The vast majority are in Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria. Islam has been their nearly exclusive religion since around the 11th century.
The total population of Nigeria is very nearly split down the middle between Christianity and Islam, however, the split is also largely geographic. Almost all of the Christians are in the southern part of the country, while it is estimated that less than 2% of the Hausa
Hausa Muslims are known for their hospitality to strangers, but over the centuries of Muslim teaching they have come to see the Bible as unreliable, and
I know that there are true believers, but there are also many false teachers who use their position of power as a way to make money off the poor in their care. The most despicable news is that of the false promises made by some “Christian” leaders to get thousands of young women out of Nigeria with hopes of a better life and job in the hospitality industry in Malaysia. Instead, they are sold into sex trafficking and forced to work for years to pay off an imaginary debt.
Boko Haram and Upcoming Election
From 2002 to 2009, Boko Haram grew in response to corruption and began militant efforts to set up Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria. Boko Haram is a radical Islamic terrorist organization whose name means “Western Education is Forbidden.” Their leadership aligned itself with Islamic State in 2014. You might remember them in the news because of the very publicized 2014 kidnapping of 276 girls from a Christian community in Northern Nigeria.
They are responsible for more than 27,000 deaths and 1.8 million displaced people between 2009 and 2018. It was ranked as the deadliest terrorist group in 2014 with 6,700 deaths and was targeted by a multinational joint task force. Their efforts, along with the prayers of millions, brought the number of deaths down 84% in 2016 to 1,079. However, it is still the third deadliest terrorist group in existence and has rebranded as the West Africa province of Islamic State.
In late 2015, current President Muhammadu Buhari declared that his government had “technically defeated” the group. But there has been an upswing in attacks recently causing some worries about safety for the national Presidential election coming on February 16th with seven main candidates.
Regardless of who wins the election, there are no easy fixes for the rampant poverty in the country. In December, President Buhari told the country’s governors that the economy was in bad shape, and with increased hardships and likely labor protests, the government may become even more repressive, which could fuel more agitation and backlash from separatist groups.
Prayers
Pray for passionate missionaries to be called from the faithful believers within Southern Nigeria. Indigenous missions work is a beautiful thing and we want to see God use his people to reach their countrymen with the good news of Jesus Christ who is the only true and lasting end to the hostility.
Pray for the church of Jesus within Southern Nigeria that God would root out and punish the charlatans who hide in their congregations and lure young women into darkness. Pray for those women that they would be able to see that the corruption of the Word of God for personal gain is not the truth. Pray for discernment and awareness of this evil and improvement of their current conditions so they would not fall prey to the false promises.
Pray for the few believers within these Hausa areas to be strengthened to face persecution as sharing in the sufferings of Christ. And help them to engage their families and communities with the truth of the Good News. Pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten the hearts of those who call themselves Muslim out of fear of Boko Haram. Pray that they would have the courage to believe the truth and sacrifice for it.
Pray for these Muslim peoples to be captivated with the story of Jesus as they read the Qur’an. Pray for God to invade their dreams and tell give them a desire to learn more and turn to the Bible for answers. Pray that Hausa in other areas outside of Nigeria would experience the gospel in a mighty way and families would be changed through those that have traveled or fled the violence of Boko Haram.
Pray for the upcoming election, that a man or woman with integrity and a desire to see true and sweeping change on a societal and economic front would come into power. Pray for safety in the elections, that the voice of the people may be heard. And pray for the future leader, that God would guide their steps and lead them to pursue peace and condemn violence so the message of the gospel can flourish.