“They came at night, shouting and burning homes…” When gunmen stormed his Nigerian hamlet, Pastor Emmanuel Ochefu told RNS correspondent Tonny Onyulo they came for his congregation and other Christians. “We cannot pretend that our faith is not part of why we are targeted,” said Ochefu. The pastor's experience was echoed in this week's annual report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which led off with the situation in Nigeria, with its “terrifying crisis of religious violence.” Yet security analysts, government officials and Muslim leaders, Onyulo found, say the violence is rooted less in religious ideology than in criminality, land disputes, climate pressures and weak governance. Top Stories NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — While many Christians see persecution, analysts and officials say the country’s long-running conflict is driven largely by insecurity, land disputes and criminal networks affecting both Muslims and Christians.  (RNS) — The best-selling author and longtime Bible teacher still plans to speak but will no longer host large-scale events.  (RNS) — The court’s injunction allows CAIR-Florida to continue its work while the group’s lawsuit plays out.  (RNS) – Still, the findings ‘don’t support that Americans are overarchingly more judgmental or moralistic than in other countries,’ said Jonathan Evans, senior researcher at Pew Research Center. Opinion (RNS) — In the debate over Western Wall prayer, the traditional case deserves a hearing.  (RNS) — If we cannot feel the death of an Iranian child with the same moral clarity as the death of a child in the United States, then something in us has been deformed. ICYMI (RNS) — The ayatollah’s killing on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has divided Muslims, mostly along sectarian lines.  (RNS) — In all interpretations, Holi is seen as a festive day to end conflicts, forgive the past and start a new season. | 
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