Hollywood actress Patricia Heaton, a Catholic, has raised concerns about the escalating violence against Nigerian Christians, particularly by Fulani Islamists, and the apparent lack of global awareness.
She shared a video footage of an alleged church-burning incident by a Fulani mob in Nigeria and asked on X, “Just wondering, why is the world ignoring the ongoing slaughter of Nigerian Christians by Islamist Fulani?”
According to Morning Star News, at least 25 Christians were killed on Wednesday in a series of attacks launched by terrorist groups, including Fulanis, in Nigeria’s Plateau state. Local residents also claimed that 6 others were killed last week
Patricia Heaton is known for her portrayal of Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” and has been vocal about her Catholic faith and pro-life views on social media. In 2019, she tweeted, “Abortion doesn’t only harm women, it eliminates them”
Nigeria ranks 6th on the latest World Watch List compiled by Open Doors, a non-denominational advocacy group, as one of the countries where Christians suffer intense persecution. The country witnessed 5,014 Christian deaths last year, constituting 89% of the total abduction cases
The World Watch List notes that Church leaders, women, and girls are often targeted for abduction, and among the 276 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, 98 remain in captivity.
