The history of the Shariah movement in Nigeria

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The contemporary political history in general of Nigeria

Eso faults FG handling of Sharia problem

By Sina Babasola, Vanguard, 23 June 2000. Supreme Court Judge Eso faulted the federal government's handling of the adoption of Sharia by some Northern states, saying the politics option is aggravating the problem. Section 10 of the 1999 constitution forbids any state of the federation from declaring any religion as its official religion. Sharia discriminate against Muslims and Christians alike.

Church Suggests Way Out of Sharia Crisis

Panafrican News Agency, 15 September 2000. A group of Nigerian Christians has asked the federal government to review the country's constitution to make it truly secular as a way out of the Sharia crisis in the nation. Communique from a Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held in Kaduna. Constitutional ambiguities taken advantage of by advocates of the Islamic legal code, introduced in six states of Moslem northern Nigeria.

Shariah And the Woman Question

By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Weekly Trust (Kaduna), 18 September 2000. The internal Islamic discourse aimed at ensuring that the on-going Shariah project does not end up in the misapplication of Shariah and misuse of Islamic concepts as a justification for the entrenchment of latent or manifest interests.

Sharia: the Politics of Control

By Emman Usman Shehu, Post Express (Lagos), 28 September and 5 October 2000. The effectiveness of Sharia as a potent tool of political control. The recent sharia uproar has its roots in Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, who ruled Northern Nigeria as Premier for six years.

'Islamic law must conform to customs'

AFP, The Straits Times, 1 March 2001. The implementation of the Syariah, or strict Islamic law, should be in accordance with local customs and norms, said visiting Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid. Syariah was introduced in nine states since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, despite opposition from Christians, human rights bodies, and the Nigerian government.