I am in Nigeria seeing at first hand some of the damage inflicted on churches, homes, and individuals by Islamic extremists following Nigeria’s general election earlier this year. This saw the defeat of the northern, Muslim, candidate and triggered an eruption of violence from his supporters. We have just witnessed numerous recently burned churches and heard the harrowing stories of Christians murdered for their faith.
Nigeria, particularly the northern states where Islamic sharia law has been adopted, is one of the front lines in the modern world war between liberty and oppression. It is always a privilege to stand beside those whose courage and faith are undaunted by the terrible threats they daily face.
But one downside of being away from London was that I was unable to attend the commemoration on 4 July of one of the victors in a previous global conflict, President Ronald Reagan. The highlight of the day was the unveiling of a statue of Ronald Reagan in Grosvenor Square, outside the US embassy. Speakers, who included Condelezza Rice and William Hague, played fulsome tribute both to Reagan and to Margaret Thatcher for their role in setting millions of people free from Communism. By all accounts it was a most stirring occasion.
Yet those who attended report a certain wistfulness. The world is scarcely a safer place than it was during the Cold War. And we shall only triumph in the modern-day fight against slavery and intolerance if we find leaders of the vision and clarity of action of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
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