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Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria sharply divided on Sharia law
2002-241-2
10/18/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
Christian and Muslim leaders who have met to discuss religious tension in Nigeria remain sharply divided on the strict Islamic Sharia law that has been implemented in 12 Nigerian states. At a sometimes-tetchy meeting of Nigeria's Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Christian leaders told their Muslim counterparts that the Sharia laws, which call for punishments such as stoning, amputation of hands and floggings for certain offenses, were not right for Christians.
'All of us had agreed here that Muslims in this country cannot be prevented from practicing their religion. This, we all agreed, was not to be extended to non-Muslims,' said Sunday Mbang, co-chairman of the council, at the meeting that gathered 25 Christian and 25 Muslim leaders. The NIREC was established by the Nigerian government in September 1999.
Since 2000, 12 Muslim-majority states in Nigeria have decided to implement the strict code, but to apply it only to Muslims. Nigeria's population of some 126 million people is roughly divided between Christians and Muslims, with Islam more prominent in the north of the country.
The inter-religious council met in an attempt to find a solution to ongoing religious tensions between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Religious conflicts have escalated recently, claiming the lives of thousands of people over the past three years and destroying millions of dollars worth of property.
Muslim leaders, for their part, accused Christians of being intolerant, and threatened to walk out of the council. However, although accusations flew, the religious leaders resolved to continue to work for peaceful co-existence in the country.
Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, sultan of Sokoto in the north and co-chairman of the council, described Nigeria as 'a country with a multitude of ethnic groups and beliefs, diverse in languages and cultures. We don't have any better choice than tolerance and respect of others.'
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