If history teaches us anything, it is that someone will always pick up a cross, mount a horse, and declare a holy mission—usually without reading the fine print. The Crusaders did it in 1096. Donald Trump and his minions are doing a remix in 2025, except this time the horses have been replaced by social-media influencers, the armour by red caps, and the battlefield by a Fox News studio.
Yet the psychology is familiar: a simple story about good Christians under siege, usually told by men who haven’t opened a history book but have opened a fundraising link.
Let’s compare.
How the Crusaders Actually Started Their March
The First Crusade wasn’t born in a village square with a prophet shouting “Waaaaaaah!” It came from Pope Urban II’s sermon at Clermont in 1095, where he framed the Byzantine Empire’s military problems as the suffering of Christian brethren in the East. The pitch was masterful:
“Christians are being attacked!”
“Their lands are being taken!”
“If you fight, your sins will vanish like your ex’s IOUs!”
The result? Tens of thousands of Europeans, many of whom had never seen a Muslim in their lives, marched eastward with religious fervour and surprisingly poor hygiene.
The Crusade was fuelled by:
1. Religious emotion
Urban II framed the campaign as divinely ordained.
2. Political opportunism
European nobles saw land, glory, and new titles—like medieval LinkedIn.
3. Simplified narratives
The complexities of Middle Eastern politics were reduced to:
“Christians = victims. Muslims = villains.”
This moral flattening made war palatable to people who couldn’t locate Jerusalem on a map but were excellent at stabbing.
Enter Trump: The 21st-Century Urban II With Wi-Fi
Fast-forward nine centuries, and suddenly Donald Trump is warning of a “Christian genocide in Nigeria.”
Let’s pause.
Fact Check:
Nigeria faces serious and deadly conflicts—banditry, terrorism, farmer-herder clashes, communal violence, and criminal kidnap gangs.
These affect Muslims, Christians, and traditional communities alike.
No major human-rights organisation—Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, or the UN—has described the situation as a genocide against Christians.
But “complex multifactorial conflict involving governance failures, climate stress, ethno-religious tensions and economic decay” does not exactly make for punchy campaign material.
So Trump stylises it.
Just like the medieval clergy, he presents:
a simple story,
a good vs evil script,
a clear victim class,
and an enemy fabricated for political advantage.
It is crusade-thinking, but turbocharged with algorithms.
The Modern Crusader: Keyboard Edition
Trump’s supporters—let’s call them Click-cierre Knights—don’t need swords.
They have:
Facebook groups
Viral clips
Pastors with Wi-Fi and prophecy ministries
And an unshakeable belief that Africa is a monolithic jungle where Christians live in trees awaiting deliverance from the next Republican president
The medieval Crusaders had relics; modern ones have hashtags, usually spelled wrong.
Why Nigeria Became Their New Jerusalem
Nigeria is the most populous African country and home to one of the largest Christian populations in the world.
It also has:
Boko Haram terrorism
Banditry in the northwest
Communal clashes in the Middle Belt
Political neglect that would make Nero blush
And governors who treat budget allocations like wedding souvenirs
But this complicated reality is inconvenient for American political theatre.
So Nigeria becomes a prop—a stage for a manufactured crusade, where Trump appears as the protector of persecuted Christians, hoping to win the evangelical vote faster than you can say “Prosperity Gospel mortgage scheme.”
The Parallels: Crusade Logic 1096 → 2025
**1. A Victim Narrative
Medieval: “Christians are dying in the East!”
MAGA: “Christians are dying in Nigeria!”
Reality: Violence in Nigeria is tragic but affects everyone, including Muslims in Zamfara and Katsina, Christians in Plateau and Kaduna, and villagers who identify simply as “tired.”
**2. Political Gain
Urban II used the Crusade to consolidate papal power.
Trump uses Nigeria to consolidate evangelical donations.
If Peter the Hermit were alive today, he’d host a YouTube prophecy show and sell healing oils.
**3. Simplification of Complex Conflicts
The Crusaders ignored Byzantine politics, Arab tribal dynamics, and economic systems.
Trump’s camp ignores Nigeria’s governance failures, climate stress, historical land-use disputes, and the small detail that many attackers and victims share the same religion.
Nuance is the first casualty of a crusade.
Why This Matters
Mischaracterising Nigeria’s crises as a “Christian genocide” isn’t just inaccurate—it is dangerous.
It inflames ethnic tensions, encourages retaliatory rhetoric, and gives opportunistic leaders a holy halo while doing nothing to help Nigerians on the ground.
It is lazy analysis dressed as divine revelation.
**Conclusion:
Crusaders March on Foot; MAGA Crusaders March on Facebook** History doesn’t repeat itself—it just logs into a different platform.
In 1096, Crusaders marched toward Jerusalem with crosses sewn onto their tunics.
In 2025, a new breed marches toward ballot boxes with “Nigeria Christian genocide!” on their timelines.
Same emotional manipulation.
Same simplified morality play.
Same political opportunism.
Just fewer horses.
And far more Wi-Fi.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 