Bodies are now being laid to rest as the dust settles in Nigeria, where more than 200 people were killed during religious riots spurred by this year's Miss World Contest. The contest has since been moved to London, but tensions between Christian and Muslim Nigerians remain high amidst concerns that the violence will flare up again.
Aggressive behavior is not taught by either religion, says Mark W. Baker, Ph.D., executive director of La Vie Counseling Center in California. "The conflict that results in death and terrorism is usually carried on by subsections of [religious] groups called fundamentalists," he says. "Fundamentalists have a political agenda. They use their religion to justify violence."
"The fundamentalist group usually makes up to 10 percent of the religious group, but they are the most vocal and the most violent," continues Baker. A psychologist, he finds that fundamentalism is a defensive response to life threats and can be treated with therapy if a person is open to self-reflection. However, Baker does not expect fundamentalism will disappear in the future.
