Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald - Politics - Nairaland
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| Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by nwabobo: 1:29pm On Oct 29, 2012 |
In the same year as the Six-Day War, and the subsequent breaking – as a result of Arab bribery or the hope of future Arab rewards—of relations with Israel by the rulers of black African states, another war broke out, and continued for two years. In that war, more than a million black African Christians were murdered by Muslims, and among those Muslims were Egyptian pilots who, in their MIGs, strafed at will the helpless Ibo villagers who were in the self-declared state of Biafra. As some may have forgotten, it was repeated massacres of the Christian, mainly Ibo, people, by Muslims in the north, that finally led to the attempt, by the Christians of southern Nigeria, to declare themselves members of an independent country, Biafra. This was a conflict never understood, outside Nigeria, as a war of Muslims against Christians, but inside Nigeria, among those who called themselves Biafrans, it was well understand. For one example one should look at the Ahiara Declaration of Colonel Ojukwu, which he made in the last year of the war, and in which he mentioned the “Jihad” that had been waged against the southern non-Muslims, of many different tribes (not only the Ibo) who had tried to create – and if conditions warranted it, might well try again – the state of Biafra. An excerpt from Colonel Ojukwu’s Ahiara Declaration of 1969 may make [b][/b]clear what lay behind the attempt to create an independent Biafra: "[b]Our struggle has far-reaching significance. It is the latest recrudescence in our time of the age-old struggle of the black man for his full stature as man. We are the latest victims of a wicked collusion between the three traditional scourges of the black men - racism, Arab-muslim expansionism and white economic imperialism. The Biafran struggle is, on another plane, a resistance to the Arab-Muslim expansionism which has menaced and ravaged the African continent for twelve centuries.... "Our Biafran ancestors remained immune from the Islamic contagion. From the middle years of the last century Christianity was established in our land. In this way we came to be a predominantly Christian people. We came to stand out as a non-Muslim island in a raging Islamic sea. Throughout the period of the ill-fated Nigerian experiment, the Muslims hoped to infiltrate Biafra by peaceful means and quiet propaganda, but failed. Then the late Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto tried, by political and economic blackmail and terrorism, to convert Biafrans settled in Northern Nigeria to Islam. His hope was that these Biafrans of dispersion would then carry Islam to Biafra, and by so doing give the religion political control of the area. The crises which agitated the so-called independent Nigeria from 1962 gave these aggressive proselytizers the chance to try converting us by force. "It is now evident why the fanatic Arab-Muslim states like Algeria, Egypt and the Sudan have come out openly and massively to support and aid Nigeria in her present war of genocide against us. These states see militant Arabism as a powerful instrument for attaining power in the world. Biafra is one of the few African states untainted by Islam. Therefore, to militant Arabism, Biafra is a stumbling block to their plan for controlling the whole continent. This control is fast becoming manifest in the Organization of African Unity. "On the question of the Middle East, the Sudanese crisis, in the war between Nigeria and Biafra, militant Arabism has succeeded in imposing its point of view through blackmail and bluster. It has threatened African leaders and governments with inciting their muslim minorities to rebellion if the govern-ments adopted an independent line on these questions. In this way an O.A.U. that has not felt itself able to discuss the genocide in the Sudan and Biafra, an O A.U. that has again and again advertised its ineptitude as a peace maker, has rushed into open condemnation of Israel over the Middle East dispute Indeed, in recent times, by its performance, the O.A.U. might well be an organization an organization of Arab unity. "From this derives our deep conviction that the Biafran revolution is not just a movement of Igbos, Ibibios, Ijaws, and Ogojas. It is a movement of true and patriotic Africans. It is African nationalism conscious of itself and fully aware of the powers with which it is contending. [/b] For the full text of the Ahiara Declaration, which ought to be studied in courses on Africa, on colonialism, on Islam, and on the definition of statehoood, see here. Of course, no one paid attention then, and almost no one has paid attention until today, to what the Biafra War was really about. It was the first successful violent Jihad in modern times (the wars against Israel have, so far, not succeeded). The Western nations, especially Great Britain, did nothing to help the Biafrans. Everyone was too concerned with doing nothing to imperil good relations with the “government” of Nigeria, because Nigeria had oil. The fact that all the oil was in the southern regions, where Christian and animist tribes lived, and that the oil could have been supplied by an independent Biafra, was not considered. And the belief that nothing should be done to “break up” Nigeria because…well, because it was the most populous black state, and therefore black amour-propre would somehow be offended, was another, equally idiotic, consideration. In the end, only two states – Ghana and Israel – recognized and maintained relations with the state of Biafra. The failure of the West to come to the aid of Christians being massacred by Muslims , the failure of the world’s press even to cover the story adequately, with two honorable exceptions – the dispatches of Frederick Forsyth, for the British press, and those of Renata Adler, in The New Yorker. Biafra was crushed, and the Christians of West Africa learned in a contest with Muslims, they could not count on the West. http://www.newenglishreview.org/print.cfm?pg=custpage&frm=2013&sec_id=45046 2 Likes |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by nwabobo: 2:10pm On Oct 29, 2012 |
Boko Haram is probably a continuation of the jihad but sadly this time, Gowon and his people are also at the receiving end. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by nwabobo: 12:58am On Oct 30, 2012 |
nwabobo: Apt, very apt. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by cjrane: 1:02am On Oct 30, 2012 |
nwabobo: Boko Haram is probably a continuation of the jihad but sadly this time, Gowon and his people are also at the receiving end. So ironic Gowon now prefers London and Lagos to living in Plateau State. The only former President that cannot live in his own state.Wonders shall never end. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by Nobody: 9:17am On Oct 30, 2012 |
Even after the so called "no victor, no vanquished", the slaughtering has ever continued till this day. The Biafran flag will surely fly. I won't be fulfilled to leave my children and their generation in this terrible mistake of the Whiteman. Biafra shall be free! |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by Ibrahimmrfish(m): 9:45am On Oct 30, 2012 |
U people a funny,so Gowon is a muslim and all those soilders 4m platue and benue.U people most be high on something. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by PointB: 9:47am On Oct 30, 2012 |
Well, the story has not ended. We are now in the second phase. Biafran was crushed, but our spirit, and religious inclination survived, and indeed thrived. They could not export Christianity to the far corners of Southern Nigeria with bombs and mortars. However, even without trying, Christianity is thriving in the furthermost part of the lands of the Jihadists, an offshoot of economic and intellectual enterprise. Today, they descend on themselves to rid Christianity from continuing to take foothold in the Sahel. Alas, when the bombs and strives ceases, as it will, Christianity will as usual flourish, and will the purveyors. Because, they will need the purveyors to rebuild, then we will laugh loud! 1 Like |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by Nobody: 10:14am On Oct 30, 2012 |
Ibrahim mr fish: U people a funny,so Gowon is a muslim and all those soilders 4m platue and benue.U people most be high on something. Gowon was a stooge. His brethren fought the war in ignorance. I don't know how old you are, but have you heard about Gideon Orka and his coup? Did you read his speech? Also, the other day, the middle beltans were in Biafraland seeking for fellowship. They not only apologised about the war, they also are willing to break away from the bond of the Jihardists as they are being stared face to face with no option than forceful Islamisation. Was Gowon not weeping the other day that " this was not the Nigeria they fought for"? The Jihardists have descended on his people, and the slaughtering overwhelmed him. The time is ripe for Biafra. And Biafra shall be free! 1 Like |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by nku5: 10:20am On Oct 30, 2012 |
Really funny that gowon the fulani/british stooge is the only former head of state who lives outside his country cjrane: |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by pcicero(m): 10:48am On Oct 30, 2012 |
nwabobo: So, you are validating your own stoopid post.Well, it is not surprising that is the height of stupidity that you people are known for. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by redsun(m): 11:00am On Oct 30, 2012 |
The igbos have instinctively always been able to differentiate between the devil and the deep blue sea.In this case,the deep blue sea is islam,unsurvivable encounter.While christianity is the devil,which can be manipulated with time. They are both very destuctive to africans,but islam is a complete no brainer. 1 Like |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by Nobody: 11:15am On Oct 30, 2012 |
redsun: The igbos have instinctively always been able to differentiate between the devil and the deep blue sea.In this case,the deep blue sea is islam,unsurvivable encounter.While christianity is the devil,which can be manipulated with time. Christianity on the contrary is the force that maintains whatever little sanity you see today. "Be kind to your enemies" as thought by Christ Jesus a noble position one can attain on the earth. |
| Re: Biafran war; the first successful Jihad in modern times - By Hugh Fitzgerald by nwabobo: 5:42am On May 12, 2013 |
nku5: Really funny that gowon the fulani/british stooge is the only former head of state who lives outside his country And I hope he and his Plateau brothers are enjoying the benefits of One Nigeria now |
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