Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj spoke at the United Nations on Tuesday, November 18, raising awareness of "the deadly threat faced by thousands of Christians in Nigeria."
"I stand here as a proud New Yorker, with a deep sense of gratitude, that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God regardless of ones' creed, background, or politics," said Minaj, whose legal name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty.
Minaj was speaking at an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations. She had been invited to the event by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz after she posted about religious persecution on X, formerly known as Twitter, to her 27 million followers.
"No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion," said Minaj, "and we don't have to share the same beliefs in order to respect each other."
Minaj cited her decades-long music career for showing her "how people, no matter their language, culture, or religion, come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul. Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith, regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe."
"But today," she added, "faith is under attack in way too many places."
"In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed," she said.
Minaj stated that churches have been burned, families separated, and "entire communities live in fear, constantly, simply because of how they pray."
Christian persecution, said Minaj, is not limited to Nigeria, and "demands urgent action."
"I want to be clear. Protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity," she said.
"Nigeria," said Minaj, "is a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions," and, with a laugh, noted that she has lots of "beautiful" fans in the country.
"When one's church, mosque, or place of worship is destroyed, everyone's heart should break, just a little bit. And the foundation of the United Nations (...) should shake," she said.
Nicki Minaj: An imperfect messenger on important topic
On social media, many people, both fans of Minaj and not, were impressed with her speech and the message. Nicki Minaj has caused significant controversy in the past for her lyrics and performances, and is a polarizing figure in the rap world.
"Nicki may not be perfect, but there’s something incredibly profound about her using her voice and her platform to highlight the Christian oppression and persecution happening in Northern Nigeria," said one user on X.
"Nicki Minaj just used her voice at the United Nations to speak up for the thousands of Christians being killed in Nigeria this year alone. Over four thousand dead in 2025 and the world stays quiet. She stood there for five minutes straight and demanded action while making it clear this is about human lives not politics," said another user.
The same user continued, "Finally someone with a huge platform is shining light on a genocide that gets ignored every single day. This is the kind of boldness America needs more of. Proud of her for this."
"Nicki framing it as justice and not sides is exactly why her speech is hitting," said another X user. "When an outsider speaks with more clarity than the people in charge, it exposes how neglected the issue has been. This conversation won’t die anytime soon."
Spotlight on Nigeria increasing
In the last several weeks, the situation in Nigeria relating to religious freedom and persecution of religious groups has received international attention.
On October 31, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern," and later suggested that the U.S. military could be deployed to protect the country's Christian population amid worsening persecution. A "Country of Particular Concern" designation is the highest given by the U.S. State Department for religious freedom violations.
Also in October, the nonprofit organization Aid to the Church in Need published its biennial report, in which Nigeria was again classified as one of the worst offenders when it comes to religious freedom.
