Religious Conflict in Nigeria

When one thinks of modern day religious conflict, Israel and Palestine probably are the first that come to mind. However, there are still other conflicts going on in the modern world. One of which that hasn’t been in the news lately is the sectarian violence in Nigeria. On November 30, 2008 380 Christians and Muslims were killed and roughly 10,000 people were forced to leave their homes and go to safer parts of the country, or even take refuge in the jungle. The fighting broke out when a primarily Christian party won a local election, defeating a Muslim backed candidate.

Sectarian conflicts are not anything new to Nigeria, with small classes breaking out between the more radical of the two religions for decades. In May 1999 violence broke out over the succession of an elected official resulting in more than 100 deaths. In Kaduna in February-May 2000 over 1,000 people died in rioting over the introduction of criminal Shar’ia in the State.In September 2001, over 2,000 were people were killed in inter-religious rioting in Jos. In October 2001, hundred were killed and thousands displaced in communal violence that spread across the Middle-Belt states of Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa. During a riot, 45 had been arrested and 40 had been injured after mobs of youths armed with clubs, machetes and gasoline roamed the streets on predominantly Muslim Kano, attacking suspected Christians.
50.4% Christian
48.2% Muslim
1.4% Other

The divide between the two religions can be placed at around the city of Jos. That particular city has been the center of many outbreaks of violence due to the mix of ethnic and religious groups that reside there. The northern half of Nigeria is primarily inhabited by Muslims while the south is mainly Christian. However, there are dozens different branches and various sects of the religions scattered across the nation.

Violence among Muslim and Christian ethnic groups was largely kept in check by a succession of military regimes until 1999, when Nigeria returned to civilian rule. Though the Nigerian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, it has also intensified the political and economic friction between ethnic groups. After Nigeria reformed under a democracy, President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State in central Nigeria on 18 May 2004, following the Christian massacre of Muslims that in turn led to killings of Christians in the north. The fighting had claimed more than 2,000 lives since September 2001.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1971010,00.html

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/nigeria-1.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20080322044443/http://www.operationworld.org/country/nige/owtext.html

the quest for range and weapon history revolving around famous killers

With the evolution of weapons a desired trait in a weapon is range. putting distance between you and your target. This obsession started with a simple rock and using it as a weapon to throw at your enemies

early famous known usage David and Goliath

the archer

a light armored unit with a ranged bow/ crossbow
effective at over 300 yards.
put more distance between you and your enemies making it harder for them to kill you

Robbin hood the most famous archer help popularize this in modern times

with the evolution of guns we saw a new range of heros

daivy crocket

one of the early famous gun shooters well known for the battle of the alamo

daivy crocket and other early shooters brought on a new group of marks men competition marks men.

ww2 vassili zaitsev

one of the most famous people of all time.

known as the inventor of sniping.

was a russian foot soldier who was in the battle of stallingrad

taught sniping techniques to other allies and started one of the first sniping schools in russia

Modern Warfare – Andrew Foulkes

The Modern Battlefield

In the modern battlefield, the United States has vast technological and substantial numerical superiority. That creates for many individual interpretations of the application of maneuver warfare. Most large governments don’t enjoy the idea of conflict with other nations, as such most modern warfare is considered “police actions” or “stabilization operations”. That is not to say maneuver warfare is useless, only that it is detrimental to assume that all enemies are of equal or greater strength.

The different styles of warfare stem from the use of the six previously stated aspects (intelligence, firepower, maneuver, protection, command and control, and logistics) to reduce the enemy’s ability to fight. Maneuver is still a significant aspect of modern combat, however it is over focused. The more unprepared an enemy is to fight on a dynamic level the more effect maneuver becomes.

The terrain of the modern battlefield is also a significant factor in the success of a military force. To emphasize the complexity of the environment, one can analyze the city of Fallujah, Iraq. The city’s layout is random. Zoning does not exist, residential, business, and industrial zones are one and the same. An infantry unit could move from a home to an office building or clothing store. The streets are narrow and walled, allowing for little cover should contact be made with enemy forces. Houses are densely packed within a few feet of each other, walls are made of brick and thick mortar. These factors made escape routes easier for insurgent forces.

References:

Marine Corps Gazette, November 05, 2005.
Army Field Manual 100-5
The Nature of War and the Realities of the Modern Battlefield, Major Andrew D. Walker, USMC.

Western Strategy

Currently the Marine Corps uses “maneuver warfare”. The reasoning behind this choice is based upon a series of assumptions. First is that combat has two components, fire and movement. The second assumption is that because of those aspects, combat has two distinct styles, which are attrition and maneuver. Attrition is based on firepower, described in the Fleet Marine Force Manual 1 as the, “destruction of the enemy’s material assets by superior firepower and technology. Maneuver is based on countering strengths and exploiting weaknesses, “the object of shattering the enemy’s cohesion, organization, command, and psychological balance.”

Due to the nature of the Marine Corps and the proliferation of modern weaponry, the Marine Corps cannot assume to have the numerical or technological advantage, therefore maneuver warfare is mandated.
The problem that arises (and has arisen) is that warfare is a much more complex concept. Maneuver warfare essentially simplifies all combat to the following formulas:
Friendly combat power = friendly firepower * friendly maneuverability
Enemy combat power = enemy firepower / friendly maneuverability

War, however, has many more variables, as common sense would dictate. There is a second ideology that includes and incorporates a few more variables: intelligence, firepower, maneuver, protection, command and control, and logistics. Interpretations of “warfighting” can be considerably more true based on the interrelationships between these concepts.

References:

Fleet Marine Force Manual 1
Sun Tzu. The Art of War.
The Nature of War and the Realities of the Modern Battlefield, Major Andrew D. Walker, USMC.

Fairly abstract side-note: Sun-Tzu was an early maneuverist, “in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this.” Maneuver warfare focuses more on small tactical maneuvers to create devastating effects to the enemy. Sun-Tzu’s principles are strongly supported by modern maneuverists, however critics point out that modern warfare is not about absorbing sovereign nations.

Eastern Strategy

For obvious reasons first hand documents by modern enemy combatants is difficult to obtain, even if you email the pentagon and ask nicely. Obtainable information (for a civilian) is somewhat patchy. It is generally significant to note that tactics in a general sense haven’t changed much. The western military still adheres to strict codes of conduct regarding warfare, the middle eastern forces still use skirmishing tactics and psychological warfare.

Generally speaking there are two types of insurgents, guerrillas and martyrs. Guerrillas try to cause as much damage to marine forces as quickly as possible and then evade to fight another day. They will only engage on terrain of their choosing, after initial contact they will evade. They will generally try to evade in a manner which avoids other Marine contact. Martyrs try to cause as much damage as possible before they themselves are killed, their objective is death. They will fortify a position and wait for the opportunity to cause as much damage as possible. The major difference between the two, other than the obvious, is that guerrillas will evade and therefore do not generally fortify a location in the manner martyrs would.

An excerpt from a report on insurgent tactics: “Overall, the enemy has adapted their tactics and techniques in order to maximize their strong-points and hit Marines when they are the most vulnerable.” The difficulty in fighting their tactics is that they do not adhere to conventional warfare, while the United States has to in order to maintain a moderately respected image. The insurgent forces do not care about our ethics, views, and restrictions, they care about survival.

References:

Marine Corps Gazette, November 05, 2005.

Catholics and Protestants by Stephen

History of Catholics and Protestants:

The Catholics and the Protestants have been fighting for many years. The furthest back I could find is the 1400′s. It all started around the time of Martin Luther and The Tudor era. King Henry VII was the first to begin the English Reform. It was mainly carried on by his son King Henry VIII. King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife Katherine of Aragon. The Catholic Church did not want him to since they belived it was wrong. Henry broke apart from the Catholic Church. From this point on a conflict of religions had begun.

When Henry’s son Edward took the thrown he changed Engalnd to Protestants, becuase he grew up learning that religion. When he died his Half sister Marry took the thrown and changed back to Catholisism. After she was murdered Elizabeth took over and changed back to Protestant because of her upbringing.

The English began to establish plantations in Ireland and made themselves the ruling class. The problem was most Irish were Catholic and most English were Protestant. The English would murder to get their way and made themselves very unpopular amongst the Catholics. The Protestants were said to be of higher class and the Catholics a lower more poor class. Protestants were’nt allowed to marry Catholics, not becuase of Religious belief but because they were told not to marry below their class. This would carry on through the years and continue to build up.

The Troubles by Stephen

The troubles is a period of conflict that spanned over three decades in Northern Ireland. It dates from 1969 to 1998. No one can decide on when and how it actually begun. There are many possibilities. The Civil Rights march in Derry on Oct 5 1968, “Battle of the Bogside” on Aug 12, 1969, Deployment of the British troops on Aug 14 1969, or the formation of the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) in 1966. The fighting is due to the fact that Northern Ireland (Protestants) is proud to be British and want to be part of Britian. The Catholics want a united Ireland and have used force to do so. The Protestants have used force against them to stop it.
The 70′s was the worst of the Troubles when you look at the death count. 1972 alone had 479 deaths. The total body count over the three decades is 3,524. In 1994 there was a first cease fire. It didn’t stop the violence but it did stop the large scale of political violence. The second ceasefire that is said to have stopped all the fighting was in 1998. People will say that it didnt end until 2002 others will say it still continues. There have been many bombings in recent years and there is still casulties. The fighting for the Irish will continue until there is a United Ireland.

Bloody Sunday by Stephen

On the 30th of January 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland. There was a march for Civil Rights. The British army was there to stop people from rioting but it backfired and people began to riot because of there presence. 26 unarmed Civil Rights Protestors were shot and 14 died on that day becuase of the British army. This day became known as “Bloody Sunday”. The PIRA had begun two years earlier. The shooting got more people to join and help fight.

The Picture at the top is a picture from that day. It shows Father Daly waving a bloody handkerchief as he and several others carry a wounded john “Jackie” Duddy through the streets. He was 17 when he died and was the first death of the 14 casulties. The group carried him past british soldiers untilt hey could get him to saftey and check his wounds.

There is a mural painted that depicts this moment. It was painted by three men. Tom Kelly, his brother William Kelly, and Kevin Hasson. It was painted in 1997. there are twelve paintings done by these men. They are all on the street of Rossvile in Derry and it has been nicknamed “The Peoples Gallery”. All the paintings depict some moment of the three decades of violence. Some are actually events and others are of what has happened because of the fighting.

Christianization of Scandinavia – Iceland, Faroe, Finland – Dylan

Iceland was pagan until Olaf I of Norway came to conquer it somewhere between 995 and 1000. In the year 1000 Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, leader of the pagans, decided it would be in their best interest to convert to Christianity to avoid conflict. Although Iceland officially converted, pagan worship was still allowed in private.

The Faroe Islands were likely, though there is no evidence to absolutely prove it, occupied by Irish christian monks since the 5th century. There is, however, plenty of evidence that Norse pagans occupied it in the 7th century. In the late 10th century, Sigmundur Brestirson, leader of a Faroese clan, escaped the rule of Harald I of Norway back to Norway. Olaf I, king of Norway, converted Sigmundur to Christianity and told him to Christianize the Faroe Islands for Norway. Sigmundur succeeded in converting the islands by forcing the chieftain of the Faroe Islands, Tróndur í Gøtu, to either convert to Christianity, or be beheaded.

The Finnish had early contact with Swedish vikings since pre-finnish history. When the Swedish became christian is when Finland got its first encounter with Christianity. As early as the 11th century is when Christianity took a foothold in Finland. In 1249, Birger Jarl of Sweden led a christian crusade into Finland, which is when Finland became full-fledged christian.