BBC, 1 July 2018
When an imam in Nigeria saw hundreds of desperate, frightened families running into his village, he decided to risk his life to save theirs. They were fleeing from a neighbouring village – a mainly Christian community.
About 300 suspected cattle herders, mostly Muslims, had started shooting and burning down their homes.
The imam hid 262 men, women and children in his home and mosque. The armed men stormed into the Muslim village chasing those who had fled the Christian village and demanded that the imam bring out those he was hiding.
But the defenceless imam refused to comply, refused to allow the armed men into the mosque, pleaded with them, and threw himself on the floor in front of them. He began to cry and wail, asking them to leave, and to his amazement the herdsmen did go.
He later told the BBC that he wanted to help because more than 40 years ago, the Christians in the area had allowed the Muslims to build the mosque and had freely given over the land to the Muslim community.