Conservatives are told that President Donald Trump is a racist on a daily basis by the MSM. So, leftists can pardon our confusion when we read on the State Department’s page that Trump’s administration honored a Muslim Imam from Nigeria. It seems completely contradictory for an Islamophobic racist to honor a Muslim from an African nation. In fact, the list of this year’s honorees for the International Religious Freedom is quite diverse: Muslims, people of color, and women. I encourage you to click on the link above and read about all the deserving honorees, but I want to focus on Imam Abubakar Abdullahi of Nigeria who put his own life in danger to protect Christians fleeing from persecution.
This is the first year that the U.S. State Department has issued the International Religious Freedom Award. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the awards ceremony on July 17, where he handed out the inaugural award to 5 worthy recipients.
Among the honorees, Imam Abubakar Abdullahi stands out because he “selflessly risked his life to save members of another religious community.” The State Department adds that the fleeing Christians “would have likely been killed without his intervention.” Providing the details, the State Department continues:
On June 23, 2018, ethnic Fulani herdsmen, who are predominantly Muslim, launched coordinated attacks on 10 villages in Barkin Ladi, killing hundreds of ethnic Berom farmers, who are predominantly Christian. As Imam Abdullahi was finishing midday prayers, he and his congregation heard gunshots and went outside to see members of the town’s Christian community fleeing. Instinctively, the Imam ushered 262 Christians into the mosque and his home next to the mosque. The Imam then went outside to confront the gunmen and he refused to allow them to enter, pleading with them to spare the Christians inside, even offering to sacrifice his life for theirs. Although the gunmen killed 84 people in Nghar village that day, Imam Abdullahi’s actions saved the lives of hundreds more. Born in Bauchi State around 1936, the Imam has lived in Nghar for 60 years and led the Muslim community through the mosque, which was built on land provided by the Christian community. Imam Abdullahi’s courage in the face of imminent danger and his history of outreach across religious divides demonstrates his lifelong commitment to promoting interfaith understanding and peace.
Beyond honoring the selfless courage of Imam Abdullahi, this story has 2 major parts: 1. it pushes back against the continued drumbeat from the mainstream media that our President is a slobbering racist. 2. It highlights the persecution that Christians are suffering in Nigeria, a story that the MSM has been mostly silent about.
While I’m skeptical, hopefully Imam Abdullahi deservedly receiving the International Religious Freedom award will help push back on the false narrative about President Trump pushed by the MSM while also forcing them to cover the religious persecution suffered by Christians around this globe.
Watch a video featuring Abdullahi below.
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