Calls by US politicians to abolish Sharia law in Nigeria have been rejected by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN), which characterizes the proposal as misguided and an attempt to subvert Nigeria’s sovereignty.
In 1999, Sharia was formally approved as the primary body of civil and criminal law in 12 northern states of Nigeria, where it coexists with statute and customary law. It gives the nation’s Muslim populations a moral, theological, and legal framework.
Sharia is a comprehensive way of life for Muslims and cannot be abandoned because of “external pressure, misinformation, or political intimidation,” according to a statement released on Wednesday by SCSN Secretary General Nafiu Ahmad.
In reaction to outside pressure, false information, or political intimidation, the council declared, “No power or authority can arrogantly make Muslims relinquish its practice.”
The statement underlined that Nigeria’s constitution, which protects religious freedom and permits followers to handle personal and family affairs in accordance with their beliefs, protects Sharia.
Claims of a “Christian genocide” in the nation were also rejected by the council, which said the statement misrepresented Nigeria’s security issues, which include organized crime, terrorism, banditry, and governance deficiencies.
Framing the violence as religious persecution is “inaccurate and unhelpful,” the statement continued, adding that “the government appears either indifferent or incapable of resolving the security problem which has claimed the lives of Muslims and Christians alike.”
