There cannot be many softer targets for well armed soldiers to engage than the kidnapping of teenage schoolgirls. These heavily armed men of the Muslin Boko Haram tribe in the name of Allah raided the dormitory of a girl’s school. The raid was carried out in the middle of the night, darkness permitting some to escape but the majority, well over 100, were taken captive. This was on 14th April and apart from videos produced by their captors no trace of the girls has been found.
One Muslin media outlet commenting on the international attention being given to the disgraceful nature of the schoolchildren’s kidnapping said it was giving the Mujahid (guerrilla soldiers) a bad name!
Boko Haram stands against all things Western of which Christian people, in their eyes, represent living symbols whose destruction or conversion pleases Allah. It should be added that they have not much time for any Muslim non-fundamentalist and non-jihadist institutions either. More recently they have shown a dislike for western education hence the burning of many schools and churches in North Eastern Nigeria.
In a video these militants say that they are following Allah’s instructions, to sell the girls, as they are his property. They are shown to be dressed as Muslins and are alleged to have converted to Islam. To prove it they are heard to be reciting the creed. A few of the girls have been forcibly married to their kidnappers so this matter is far from reaching a satisfactory conclusion.
In the Bible we have a somewhat similar situation with Joseph. He was taken prisoner by his brothers and sold into slavery. Later he was married to an Egyptian (Genesis Chapter 41 verse 45) and, in the will of God, saved many lives (Chapter 50 verse 20).
Because of his ability to bear failure and success with equal equanimity allowing neither to distract him from his sense of Devine calling Joseph resembles Jesus of whom it was said that “He set his face to go to Jerusalem” (St Luke Chapter 9 verse 51) ignoring all distractions. He did this in order to fulfill his destiny which he summed up in answer to Pilot, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (St John Chapter 18 verse 37).
Whilst a dreadful injustice has been perpetuated on these girls those who have truly heard and responded in faith to Jesus’s voice belong to him and no amount of reciting of Islamic creeds can pluck them out of their heavenly Father’s hand (St John Chapter 10 verse 28).