Bill,
I don't talk glibly. I understand Nigeria. It's not only Muslims that bear the brunt of Boko Haram - Christians in the North do.The U.S. supporting Muslims in Nigeria I suspect is a perception issue on your part because U.S. diplomats are probably pushing for the government of Nigeria to ensure the government takes care of all its citizens and not discriminate against a particular group, because it will undermine their security in the long run.
It is one thing for US diplomats to genuinely press for human rights and another thing for them to openly advocate for a Muslim Northern president in private gatherings in Abuja and imply that in their public utterances.
This is no different from British policy in Nigeria - which was initiated by Lord Lugard in the 1910s - and hasn't changed ever since.
Nigeria has had a long history of grievances - starting from the Biafran war in the 1960s, to the Niger Delta. US diplomats never advocated handing over political power to a particular section of society as a solution to these problems - as they are advocating right now.
Anyone who knows Nigeria will know that US diplomats are merely following the lead of the British - i.e. British preferences on who should govern Nigeria.
Nigeria is a complex topic, which cannot be dealt with in one post.
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