Nicki Minaj confirmed that she will be speaking at an upcoming event with U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz about the alleged religious persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
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Time magazine correspondent Eric Cordellessa broke the news regarding Minaj and Waltzās event slated for Tuesday (Nov. 18).
āU.S. envoy to the UN @michaelgwaltz and rap superstar @NICKIMINAJ will deliver remarks early this week on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria,ā he wrote on Sunday (Nov. 16). āThe unexpected collaboration was arranged by Trump advisor @AlexBruesewitz, who will also speak at the Tuesday event.ā
Waltz called Minaj āarguably the greatest female recording artistā and a āprincipled individualā who has refused to āremain silent in the face of injustice.ā
āIām grateful sheās leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria,ā he added. āAnd I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters.ā
The Young Money rapper responded to Waltz on X, explaining that she will ānever stand down in the face of injustice.ā
āAmbassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude,ā she replied. āI do not take it for granted. It means more than you know. The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. Weāve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose.ā
Earlier in November, Minaj responded to Trumpās comments regarding Christianity āfacing an existential threatā in Nigeria.
āReading 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,ā she wrote. āWe donāt have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & itās dangerous to pretend we donāt notice. Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Letās remember to lift them up in prayer.ā
Nigeriaās population of 220 million is split about evenly between Christians and Muslims. Trump previously said he planned to add the West African nation to the list of āCountries of Particular Concernā and has threatened to take military action against the nation.
āIf the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, āguns-a-blazing,ā to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,ā the president wrote on Truth Social.
A Nigerian presidential spokesman told The Associated Press that the U.S. can not ācarry out any military operationā in Nigeria over the claims of religious persecution of Christians. Spokesman Daniel Bwala added that this is āTrumpās style of going forceful in order to force a sit-down and have a conversation.ā
The Associated Press also found that location plays a heavier factor for murder victims rather than the individualās religion in Nigeria. āThere is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion,ā Information Minister Idris Muhammed told The Associated Press, while downplaying reports of religious persecution.
Similarly, over the weekend a group of prominent white Afrikaners in South Africa pushed back against what Trump has claimed is a āwhite genocideā in the majority black nation under the āNot in Our Nameā banner. They refuted Trumpās repeated claims that the nationās minority group is facing an āexistential threatā as his administration has prioritized resettling white South Africans over refugees from other war-torn nations fleeing well-documented persecution and threats to their lives.
