Nicki Minaj thanks Trump for highlighting persecution of Christians in Nigeria

Rap superstar Nicki Minaj recently thanked President Donald Trump for shedding light on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

“Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this massacre,” Trump wrote in a message on Social truth Friday. “The United States cannot stand idly by while such atrocities occur in Nigeria and many other countries. We are ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population throughout the world! »

Minaj speaks openly about her Christian faith and said the president’s statement made her “feel a deep sense of gratitude.”

“As I read this, I felt 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 do not need to share the same beliefs to respect each other.” Minaj wrote.

Trump names Nigeria as ‘particularly concerned’ about widespread persecution and killings of Christians

Rap star Nicki Minaj has thanked President Donald Trump for shedding light on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation; Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“Many countries around the world are affected by this horror (and) it is dangerous to pretend that we do not notice. Thank you to the president (and) his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let us not forget to lift them up in prayer,” she added.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz thanked Minaj for “using your platform to defend persecuted Christians in Nigeria.”

“We cannot allow this to continue,” Waltz added. “All brothers and sisters of Christ must unite and say, ‘Enough!’”

The situation for Christians in Nigeria has become dire: entire villages have been burned, worshipers have been murdered during Sunday services and thousands of people have been displaced by Islamist groups invading the country.

Members of St. Leo Catholic Church take out a procession to mark Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria on April 13, 2025. (Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)

CRUZ CONFRONTS NIGERIA OVER HIS CLAIMS THAT 50,000 CHRISTIANS KILLED SINCE 2009 IN RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE

“Even being conservative, that’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed every year,” Mark Walker, Trump’s ambassador-designate for international religious freedom, told Fox News Digital. “This has been going on for years – from ISWAP to ethnic Fulani Islamist militias – and the Nigerian government needs to be much more proactive.”

Trump said he had asked Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.

The president also said he would designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in countries with this designation, the government “has engaged in or tolerated particularly serious violations of religious freedom,” which is defined as “systematic, continuing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.” This comes from the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

DJIHADISTS MASSACRE 89 CHRISTIANS IN AFRICAN NATION, MANY KILLED DURING FUNERALS

Women and children held captive by Islamic extremists and rescued by the Nigerian military are seen in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, May 20, 2024. (Jossy Olatunji/AP Photo)

“Nigeria is the most dangerous nation in the world for following Christ,” the House Appropriations Committee said in a statement. “Because they are simply practicing their faith, Christians are actively kidnapped, attacked and massacred. As President Trump announces he will redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern, the United States clearly declares with one resolute voice: religious persecution will not be tolerated.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The committee promised that once the government shutdown ends, its members “will continue to push the full year’s appropriations across the finish line to meet your priorities. We know you will be ready at your desk with pen in hand.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Minaj’s rep for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.