By Ireti Asemota.
American rapper Nicki Minaj, born Onika Maraj, has voiced her appreciation to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to label Nigeria a “country of particular concern” due to ongoing religious persecution.
Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform, highlighting that Christianity in Nigeria is under an “existential threat,” with radical Islamists allegedly responsible for mass killings of Christians.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.
He further stated that the U.S. “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” promising that the country would be “ready, willing, and able” to assist persecuted Christian communities worldwide.
In response, Minaj took to her X (formerly Twitter) account, expressing her gratitude for the freedom to worship in the United States and condemning religious persecution globally.
“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other,” Minaj tweeted.
The rapper also called attention to the global issue of religious persecution and warned against ignoring these violations of human rights.
“Numerous countries around the world are affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice,” she added.
Minaj concluded her post by thanking Trump and his team for addressing the issue, and shared a message of support for persecuted Christians: “Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”
