Nicki Minaj showed something too many in Hollywood have lost: backbone. The superstar used a U.S. mission to the United Nations platform to speak about the brutal targeting of Christians in Nigeria, making clear that religious liberty is not a partisan fad but a fundamental human right worthy of celebrity attention. Her words and actions underscored that faith still matters in public life, and that using fame to champion the persecuted is honorable, not shameful.
Standing alongside U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Michael Waltz, Minaj accepted an invitation to learn more and to amplify the suffering of Nigerian believers, refusing to be shushed by the usual cultural elites. Waltz publicly thanked her for leveraging her massive platform and invited her to discuss the administration’s efforts to protect religious freedoms around the globe. This kind of partnership between principled public servants and influential Americans should be encouraged, not demonized.
Of course, predictably, the woke brigade erupted. Left-leaning outlets and segments of social media treated her gratitude toward President Trump and her defense of persecuted Christians as if it were a betrayal of some secular orthodoxy, and many of her critics took to unfollowing and denouncing her. That reaction tells you everything you need to know about where the cultural left’s priorities lie: punishing anyone who dares to stand with faith and truth.
Make no mistake, the situation in Nigeria is complex and dangerous, with violence and kidnappings terrorizing communities and faith leaders paying the price for their beliefs. Reporting from reputable outlets shows this is not a rhetorical talking point but a real humanitarian crisis that deserves American attention and moral clarity. Those who wave away these atrocities because they don’t fit a preferred narrative are complicit in a moral failure.
President Trump’s decision to press for a stronger U.S. response, including moving toward a formal designation that signals Washington will take action to protect religious minorities, was rightly acknowledged by Minaj and others who care about religious liberty. Conservatives should applaud any effort that forces the international community to reckon with targeted persecution instead of pretending it is merely disorder with no victims. Our country must stand with the oppressed, not cave to performative outrage.
Nicki Minaj’s choice to speak up is a reminder to everyday Americans that courage matters more than popularity. If standing with persecuted Christians costs a celebrity some followers, so be it — better to lose followers than to lose your soul or your conscience. Patriots committed to faith and freedom ought to cheer her on, demand action from our leaders, and refuse to let the social media mobs bully defenders of basic human dignity into silence.
