As Islamists wage war in Syria and Iraq, another group wages war in Nigeria

Boko Haram, a militant Islamic group, has been waging a war against Christians in the north of Nigeria for many years now. The international community is well aware of the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and yet has seen fit to do nothing.

In the first half of 2014 alone, the number of Christians killed by Boko Haram in Nigeria is 91% greater than the number of Christians Boko Haram killed in all of 2013:

Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and others killed 1,631 Christians in Nigeria for their faith in the first six months of 2014 – a figure that is 91 percent of the total Christians killed in the country in all of last year, according to advocacy group Jubilee Campaign.

Last year 1,783 Nigerian Christians were killed for their faith, according to Jubilee Campaign. The increase in Christian deaths so far this year accompanies an increase in the total number of people killed during the period, mainly by Boko Haram – 4,099, which is 975 more than the total deaths from attacks by religious extremists for all of last year, 3,124, according to Jubilee.

This data comes just after Boko Haram declared an Islamic State in Nigeria last week.

Some of the intelligentsia dismissed this declaration (as they have done with many other groups), but news comes today that Boko Haram has seized the town of Bama in northeastern Nigeria, the second largest town in the Borno state.

Thus far, the world has not taken the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria seriously; will the same mistake be made with Boko Haram?

UPDATE: What we have seen the Islamic State do to Christians in Iraq and Syria (beheadings, forced marriages, etc.), Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria and has declared the rule of Sharia Law.