NEW YORK, USA — US rapper Nicki Minaj visited the United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, delivering a pointed message about the rising violence against Christian communities in Nigeria and calling for coordinated global action to safeguard religious freedom.
Minaj was invited by Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, for what he described as an in-depth discussion on the administration’s efforts to protect Christians worldwide.
The visit comes amid heightened international scrutiny of religiously motivated attacks in parts of Nigeria.
In remarks shared after the meeting, Minaj thanked President Donald Trump for “prioritising this issue” and pushing for stronger global engagement to “defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism, and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”
She expressed alarm over reports of repeated attacks against communities in northern and central Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray,” she said.
Minaj added that no individual should ever feel endangered because of their religious conviction.
“We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. That shouldn’t make one person feel less safe than anyone in any room,” she said.
Drawing from her experiences travelling worldwide, she noted that religion plays a powerful role in shaping cultures and identities, and warned that faith is “under attack in way too many places”, naming Nigeria among the most troubling examples.
She stressed that advocating for the protection of Christians in Nigeria should not be framed as a partisan or divisive issue.
“Protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity,” she said.
She also underscored that any assault on a place of worship — regardless of faith — should resonate beyond borders.
“When one’s church, mosque, or place of worship is destroyed, everyone’s heart should break just a little bit,” she said.
Minaj said she hoped the discussions at the UN would help galvanise renewed international resolve.
“I hope it will encourage deepened solidarity for us to urgently work together to ensure every person can enjoy the right to believe, to worship, and to live in peace,” she said.
