Jerusalem ― “As chairperson of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP), I would like to express our great sorrow for the devastating terrorist attacks that took place in Nigeria on the Christmas Day, killing over 40 people and bringing the death toll, after several clashes, to 110 people.

This is the second consecutive year that Christian communities are attacked during Christmas celebrations in Nigeria. Sunday's blast was executed by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, whose name denotes "Western education is forbidden".

The threat to the Christian communities from extremist Islamic groups has risen over the years in Africa and the Middle East.  Estimates indicate that over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely on account of their faith. Sadly, similar violent attacks are quite ordinary in many countries and regions, including in Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, Algeria, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and the Palestinian Authority.

The fight against anti-Semitism and the promotion of the freedom of worship are two sides of the same battle and we, as Jewish lawmakers, are fully committed to advance democracy and human rights worldwide, without distinction of religion and ethnicity. Each and every parliament must act to urge the United Nations to react toughly and decisively to the unacceptable, persistent violation of basic human rights among its member states.”

Media contact:

Fiamma Nirenstein MP
Chairperson, International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians
Vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Italian Chamber of Deputies
Chair, Committee for the Inquiry into Anti-Semitism 

Tel: +39 06 676 068 05
Cell: +39 393 805 89 06, +39 338 292 33 20
Email: nirenstein_f@camera.it