KANO, Nigeria — Christians in rural areas of Kano, Nigeria, are afraid to send their children to public schools for fear that they will be forced to convert to Islam.
Students are being forced to study Arabic and Islam and say Islamic prayers. Moreover, Christian leaders say, the government refuses to grant churches permission to establish schools in rural areas.
“The strategy is to force Christians to send their children to public schools so that they can be forced to become Muslims,” said Murtala Marti Dangora, secretary of the Kano district of the Evangelical Church of West Africa.
A former Muslim, Dangora said there are still numerous cases of persecution in the state; in one case, 15 Christians were forced to flee Banda village because of Muslim antagonism. Another Christian leader noted that Christians in Kano state have lost religious liberty and are seen as second-class citizens.
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