Bill Maher recently stated on HBO’s Real Time that over 100,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, with 18,000 churches destroyed. Al Jazeera swiftly countered, publishing an editorial titled “No, Bill Maher, there is no ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria,’” dismissing these figures as exaggerated. Yet, when it comes to Gaza, the narrative is starkly different. Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) clarifying that it has not concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the media and activists continue to amplify such claims. This selective outrage raises a pressing question: why is there such a discrepancy in the portrayal of these two crises?
During the Sept. 26 episode of his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the political comedian stated, “I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria,” Maher said. “They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches,” Maher said, referring to violent Islamists in Nigeria such as Boko Haram.
“This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza,” he continued. “They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.”
“Where are the kids protesting this?” Maher asked.
Al Jazeera entered the narrative with a particularly brazen denial of truth. In an editorial titled by Gimba Kakanda, a senior advisor to Nigeria’s president, titled “No, Bill Maher, there is no ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria.” The article blamed climate change, land disputes, and complex security issues—everything except the religious ideology driving the killings.“ Al Jazeera’s dismissal is important when considered in context.
While Israel is demonized for genocide, other mass murders are not even mentioned.
Similarly, when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz dared to name this slaughter what it is—mass murder of Christians by Islamist militants—the response from the Nigerian government and outlets like Al Jazeera was not remorse but rage.
Cruz said 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, with 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches destroyed. The Texas Senator introduced legislation to hold Nigerian officials accountable and redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations. But rather than address the rivers of Christian blood flowing through Nigeria’s Middle Belt, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson dismissed Cruz’s claims as “careless rhetoric” and insisted there is no Christian genocide.
The claims against Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza originated in a ruling by the International Court of Justice in January 2024, which addressed South Africa’s request for provisional measures against Israel. However, the court did not make a definitive determination of genocide. This distinction is crucial, yet often overlooked in media portrayals.
In stark contrast, Nigeria has witnessed a relentless campaign of violence against Christians. An average of 32 Christians are killed daily, with over 7,000 massacred in the first 220 days of 2025 alone. Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, 2,000 schools destroyed, and 18,000 churches burned. Entire communities have been displaced, and the international community remains largely silent. Investigative journalist Lara Logan has documented that Islamist militants systematically target Christian villages, destroying homes, schools, crops, and churches to eliminate entire communities. The Nigerian government dismisses these killings as “complex security issues” or “climate disputes,” while media outlets echo these narratives, framing mass murder as unfortunate chaos rather than targeted religious persecution.
Devout Christians and Jews should pay heed to the libels being waged against Israel and focus on the actual violence taking place. The Bible warns, “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:16). The Sages understood that indifference is complicity. When journalists and activists amplify unverified claims of genocide against Israel while ignoring deliberate, systematic slaughter elsewhere, they are not merely mistaken—they are participating in moral erasure. They take sides not based on justice, but ideology.
Even in Gaza, claims of mass extermination are misleading. Assertions that Israel imposed a famine as a weapon were heavily disputed. Following the ceasefire declared under President Trump, UNRWA announced that three months of humanitarian aid had been delivered to Gaza. The notion that Israel deliberately starved civilians ignores both evidence and context. Humanitarian corridors and aid deliveries continued, directly contradicting claims of an engineered catastrophe.
The contrast is stark. In Gaza, numbers are inflated, and accusations are amplified; in Nigeria, thousands are slaughtered, churches burned, and communities erased, yet few headlines appear. Propaganda thrives where truth is inconvenient. The Sages taught that justice requires vigilance and courage—not selective outrage. The world cannot pretend moral equivalence exists where none does.
The lesson is stark and nonnegotiable. Justice demands clarity, courage, and attention to the facts. Outrage over Israel cannot be morally or logically equivalent to silence over real, ongoing massacres. To protect the innocent and honor God’s commandments, the world must call evil by its true name, wherever it occurs.
