Popular United States rapper Nicki Minaj’s United Nations, UN speech has shed a spotlight on the alleged killing and displacement of persecuted Nigerian Christians.
Nick Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, spoke at a UN event organized by U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Tuesday.
During her address, Nicki Minaj demanded urgent international action, describing the escalating violence in Nigeria as “worrying and heartbreaking.”
Nicki Minaj’s UN speech also highlighted the nature of the persecution, stating that churches have been burned, families torn apart, and entire communities “live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray.”
She emphasized that her decision to speak out was due to her commitment to human rights and was not intended to be divisive.
She said: “I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria and to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to express their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.
“Music has taken me around the globe. I have seen how people, no matter their language, culture, or religion, come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul.
“Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe. But today, faith is under attack in way too many places.
“Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray.
“It’s about what I’ve always stood for my entire career, and I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life.
“I stand here as a proud New Yorker with a deep sense of gratitude that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God regardless of one’s creed, background, or politics.
“No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion, like I recently stated on social media. And we don’t have to share the same beliefs for us to respect each other.”
Calling Nigeria “a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions,” Minaj noted in her address on Tuesday that some of her devoted fanbase, known as the Barbz, live there.
“I am joined here today by peace builders, by faith leaders, by those who saw violence, saw intolerance, saw the threats clearly before us and chose not to look the other way,” Minaj said. “I am inspired by their work to build interfaith ties, to see the humanity across the lines which might divide us, and to vie and to fight for security and liberty for all those who pray.”
Nicki Minaj’s UN speech comes after Waltz invited the popular rapper to speak at the UN.
Waltz wrote earlier this week that the rapper “is not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice.”
“I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters,” he wrote.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports also that Nicki Minaj’s UN speech comes after U.S President Donald Trump slammed a Country of Particular Concern tag on Nigeria.
The U.S president also said he was considering military action there and would cease aid over what he claimed was the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Christians from a “mass slaughter” by insurgents in the country.
The Nigerian government, however, rejected Trump’s comments.
