Nigeria is the largest country in the world with an evenly split population of Christians and Muslims. According to research by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, this population is perhaps the most intensely religious in the world. In a recent symposium hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, "Religious Conflict in Nigeria," Nigeria experts and religious scholars examined the political compromises that maintain relative stability in Africa's most populous country. "To understand where Nigeria is headed, we need to understand the religious dynamics in Nigeria," said Timothy S. Shah, adjunct senior fellow for religion and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Organized by Shah and Walter Russell Mead, the Council's Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy, this event was the first in the Religion and Foreign Policy Symposia Series at CFR. The series aims to integrate the study of religion and foreign policy and is supported by a generous contribution from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Summary Report of Symposium: Downloadable PDF

Further Readings

Council Special Report: Nigeria: Elections and Continuing Challenges

Podcast: "A Blow for Nigerian Democracy" with Michelle Gavin

Q&A: Nigeria's Creaky Political System

Joint Statement on Nigeria's Recent Elections by scholars Richard Anthony Joseph, Darren Kew, Peter M. Lewis, Princeton N. Lyman, J. Stephen Morrison, John N. Paden

More resources on Nigeria, religion